


Enter the Wild

by MurasakiNoAo



Series: Warriors Rewrite [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Gen, Non-Canonical Character Death, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-08-06 20:13:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 91,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MurasakiNoAo/pseuds/MurasakiNoAo
Summary: Rusty had always longed to know what lay beyond the white picket fence of his house. The wild had always called for him, but he stayed because of his overprotective sister. The farthest he dared to go out was just the edge of the forest, never staying too long, only long enough to appease the need he felt growing inside of him. And although he always felt restless, Rusty considered it a good life.But a chance encounter with a strange cat changed everything, and Rusty found himself in the very heart of the wild. And while it seemed like a dream come true, he would soon find out that the wild was far from the safe environment back in his house, and that evil lurked in every shadow.(Into the Wild rewrite feat. explicit LGBT kitties, more established family trees / relations, and revised warrior code)





	1. Allegiances

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hello ! This has certainly.... been a project of mine, you could say. I began writing this for fun back in the end of June, and I've just finished it, which makes this around a four month project. It ended up being longer than the original book and the longest piece of writing I've ever written ^^; But it was also one of the funnest things I've ever written, which is why I managed to complete it !
> 
> If you're wondering what exactly this rewrite entails, I have [a side blog entirely dedicated to this rewrite](https://warriorsrewrite.tumblr.com/), and you can find all the information you want regarding certain changes from the navigation page ! I will say that I've made Rusty / Firepaw a trans tom, so if that bothers you, I'd suggest immediately pressing that back button to save us both the headaches of arguing. 
> 
> Now, this first chapter is really just the allegiances. The actual chapters will come later after I've finished editing them, but once I start posting them, they'll be going out on a somewhat regular schedule, probably with a few days between each chapter's upload.
> 
> As a note, any kit listed under the 'caretaker' section of a Clan is a kit who was taken in after being left by non-Clan cats (save for Silverkit, whose mother died in childbirth).
> 
> I'd like to thank everyone who has been patiently following my progress on my side blog ! Please remember to subscribe to both this work and the series !

ThunderClan

Leader:

   Bluestar: blue-gray molly with blue eyes (48 moons, 3 lives)

Deputy:

   Lionheart: big pale golden tabby tom with green eyes (43 moons)

      Apprentice: Dustpaw

Healer:

   Spottedleaf: dark tortoiseshell and white molly with amber eyes (30 moons)

Warriors:

   Goldenflower: pale ginger tabby molly with amber eyes (43 moons)

      Apprentice: Sandpaw

   Tigerclaw: big dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes (33 moons)

      Apprentice: Ravenpaw

   Whitestorm: big silver tom with amber eyes (32 moons)

      Apprentice: Graypaw

   Brindleface: dark gray molly with brown flecks and yellow eyes (31 moons)

   Redtail: dark dappled tortoiseshell tom with a ginger tail and amber eyes (30 moons)

   Willowpelt: very pale silver-gray molly with unusual blue eyes (30 moons)

   Runningfoot: light brown tabby tom with yellow eyes (19 moons)

   Mousefur: small dusky brown tabby molly with yellow eyes (19 moons)

   Darkstripe: dark gray tabby tom with yellow eyes (18 moons)

   Longtail: pale brown tabby tom with black stripes and blue eyes (14 moons)

Apprentices:

   Dustpaw: dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes (10 moons)

   Sandpaw: pale golden tabby molly with green eyes (9 moons)

   Ravenpaw: small black tom with a white dash on his chest, white tipped tail, and green eyes (8 moons)

   Graypaw: big dark gray tom with a black stripe running down his back and yellow eyes (6 moons)

Queens:

   Frostfur: spiky black molly with amber eyes (31 moons)

      Brackenkit: spiky dark golden tabby tom with amber eyes (0 moons)

      Cinderkit: dark gray molly with green eyes (0 moons)

      Thornkit: spiky golden tabby tom with green eyes (0 moons)

      Brightkit: black molly with golden patches and green eyes (0 moons)

Caretakers:

   Speckletail: pale golden tabby molly with amber eyes (63 moons)

   Rosetail: gray tabby molly with a dark red tail and pale green eyes (45 moons)

      Swiftkit: small black and white tom with pale amber eyes (2 moons)

Elders:

   Sparrowpelt: dark brown tabby tom with part of his tail missing and yellow eyes (70 moons)

   Smallear: gray tom with folded ears and amber eyes (66 moons)

   White-eye: pale gray molly with one blind cloudy eye and one yellow eye (63 moons)

   Dappletail: dappled tortoiseshell and white molly with blue eyes (62 moons)

   Patchpelt: dark brown and white tom with yellow eyes (54 moons)

 

ShadowClan

Leader:

   Raggedstar: large spiky dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes (62 moons, 1 life)

Deputy:

   Rowanberry: cream and ginger molly with amber eyes (57 moons)

      Apprentice: Whitepaw

Healer:

   Yellowfang: dark ginger molly with bright orange eyes (57 moons)

   Runningnose: gray and white tom with yellow eyes (29 moons)

Warriors:

   Russetfur: dark ginger molly with dark green eyes (51 moons)

      Apprentice: Littlepaw

   Boulderpelt: big gray tom with green eyes (50 moons)

      Apprentice: Wetpaw

   Nightpelt: black tom with amber eyes (36 moons)

      Apprentice: Brownpaw

   Clawface: brown tom with amber eyes (36 moons)

   Blackfoot: huge white tom with black paws and amber eyes (30 moons)

   Flintfang: gray tom with amber eyes (30 moons)

   Deerfoot: pale brown tom with darker legs and yellow eyes (29 moons)

   Tangleburr: gray and brown molly with gray eyes (29 moons)

   Brokentail: large spiky dark brown tabby tom with a kink in his tail and bright orange eyes (28 moons)

   Cinderfur: thin gray tom with amber eyes (20 moons)

   Stumpytail: brown tabby tom with a short stumpy tail and amber eyes (20 moons)

   Darkflower: black molly with blue eyes (12 moons)

Apprentices:

   Whitepaw: black tom with a white chest, paws, and blue eyes (10 moons)

   Littlepaw: very small brown tabby tom with light blue eyes (8 moons)

   Wetpaw: gray tabby tom with light blue eyes (8 moons)

   Brownpaw: mottled brown tabby tom with amber eyes (8 moons)

Queens:

   Applefur: mottled brown molly with pale green eyes (25 moons)

      Ratkit: dark brown tom with pale green eyes (3 moons)

      Snowkit: white molly with pale green eyes (3 moons)

   Tallpoppy: light brown tabby molly with pale green eyes (25 moons)

      Oakkit: small light brown tom with a short stumpy tail and amber eyes (2 moons)

   Fernshade: tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes (30 moons)

      Badgerkit: very tiny black and white tom with amber eyes (1 moon)

Caretakers:

   Dawncloud: small pale ginger tabby molly with blue eyes (13 moons)

Elders:

   Brightflower: orange tabby molly with amber eyes (80 moons)

   Ashfur: gray tom with green eyes (72 moons)

 

WindClan

Leader:

   Tallstar: black and white tom with amber eyes (61 moons, 2 lives)

Deputy:

   Hopfoot: dark gray tom with a twisted paw and green eyes (56 moons)

Healer:

   Barkface: dark ginger tom with a short tail and amber eyes (62 moons)

Warriors:

   Pigeonwing: dark gray tom with brown patches and green eyes (56 moons)

   Wrenflight: gray molly with green eyes (54 moons)

   Rabbitbelly: pale gray molly with a white belly and yellow eyes (54 moons)

   Mudclaw: mottled dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes (37 moons)

   Tornear: gray tabby tom with blue eyes (30 moons)

   Morningflower: tortoiseshell molly with amber eyes (25 moons)

   Darkfoot: gray tom with black paws and blue eyes (24 moons)

   Onewhisker: mottled light brown tabby tom with amber eyes (23 moons)

   Rushtail: light creamy-brown tom with green eyes (23 moons)

Apprentices:

   N/A

Queens:

   Oatwhisker: creamy-brown tabby tom with amber eyes (23 moons)

      Tawnykit: golden brown molly with amber eyes (1 moon)

   Ashfoot: gray molly with blue eyes (44 moons)

      Eaglekit: small gray tom with green eyes (0 moons)

Caretakers:

   Ryestalk: light brown tabby molly with amber eyes (65 moons)

      Runningkit: light gray tabby molly with green eyes (4 moons)

      Webkit: dark gray tabby tom with amber eyes (3 moons)

      Whitekit: small white molly with green eyes (2 moons)

Elders:

   Crowfur: black tom with gray eyes (70 moons)

   Skyeyes: dark gray tom with pale blue eyes (67 moons)

 

RiverClan

Leader:

   Stormstar: large dappled light gray tom with a twisted jaw and green eyes (51 moons, 3 lives)

Deputy:

   Oakheart: dark gray tom with amber eyes (51 moons)

Healer:

   Mudfur: mottled light brown tom with a pale belly and amber eyes (63 moons)

Warriors:

   Blackclaw: black tom with yellow eyes (36 moons)

   Skyheart: pale brown tabby molly with yellow eyes (36 moons)

   Loudbelly: brown tom with blue eyes (33 moons)

   Reedtail: pale brown and gray tom with a darker tail and blue eyes (33 moons)

   Leopardfur: dappled golden tabby molly with darker spots and amber eyes (32 moons)

   Ivytail: brown tabby molly with amber eyes (20 moons)

   Whiteclaw: dark brown tom with one white paw and blue eyes (17 moons)

   Stonefur: blue-gray tom with blue eyes (16 moons)

   Mistyfoot: dark blue-gray molly with blue eyes (16 moons)

Apprentices:

   N/A

Queens:

   Greenflower: brown tabby molly with a white jaw, hind paw, and green eyes (20 moons)

      Mosskit: tortoiseshell and white molly with blue eyes (1 moon)

Caretakers:

   Graypool: brown molly with gray eyes (42 moons)

      Silverkit: light gray tabby molly with green eyes (4 moons)

      Heavykit: big brown tabby tom with gray eyes (3 moons)

      Shadekit: very dark gray molly with green eyes (2 moons)

Elders:

   N/A

 

Cats Outside Clans

 

Rusty: dark flame colored ginger tabby tom with a white belly and leaf green eyes (6 moons)

Princess: pale ginger tabby molly with a white chest, paws, and amber eyes (6 moons)

Smudge: plump black and white tom with amber eyes (5 moons)

Barley: black and white tom with blue eyes (18 moons)


	2. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again ! I know you might be thinking "hey... I thought they said they were going to start posting after editing the whole thing..." Well, I was going to do that, buutttt I decided that I'm far too impatient to withhold any of the completed, edited chapters, so here's the prologue ! It's not that long anyway, so took me only a short while to edit it. 
> 
> The first real chapter should be up by Saturday ! Enjoy ~

It was a still, quiet night. The halfmoon painted the rocks, river, and trees with an eerie glow. Shadows lurked, staying behind the treeline. Watching, waiting.

When nothing moved, the shadows crept closer to the river until they appeared under the moonlight. They were cats - four of them - led by a dark gray tom. They stopped by the waters edge as the tom sniffed the air. He gave one last scan with his amber eyes and flicked his tail. Without a sound, the group entered the slow current.

As soon as the tom set a paw on the other side, however, dark shapes burst from the forest ahead of them with echoing battle cries. The dark gray tom was tackled and pinned down by a large dark brown tabby tom.

“Oakheart!” the large tom cried, claws set at his throat. “What do you think you’re doing on ThunderClan territory?!”

“It won’t be ThunderClan’s for much longer, Tigerclaw,” Oakheart growled, thrashing under the other tom’s weight. “Not after tonight!” He struggled, but no matter how hard he kicked, he couldn’t manage to get out of the hold.

Tigerclaw smirked down at him. “Bluestar may be soft for you, but I won’t hesitate to send a message back to RiverClan that Sunningrocks are ours, and always will be.” He opened his jaws, sharp teeth glinting, and readied to bite down upon Oakheart’s exposed neck.

A sudden cry rose up above the din of battle. Tigerclaw stopped to look for the source. A small dusky brown tabby was twisting under a lean black tom, who was about to slash at her with his long claws.

Growling, he lept off of Oakheart to ram into the black tom, sending him flying into the shallows of the river. Tigerclaw hissed and spat at the winded RiverClan cat until he re-entered the river to swim back. Threat now gone, he turned back to help the tabby to her feet. She took a moment to regain her balance; her shoulder glistened red with blood.

“Can you still fight, Mousefur?” he asked her, glancing around to see where Oakheart went. When he didn’t spot him, he cursed under his breath.

Mousefur gritted her teeth. “Of course,” she meowed. “We have to try to drive them back before Oakheart brings Stormstar into the fight.”

He nodded to her before she went and pounced on another enemy.

“Tigerclaw!” someone cried behind him. He turned to see a dark dappled tortoiseshell biting at the heels of a retreating foe, who disappeared into the river. The tortoiseshell tom stopped beside Tigerclaw, his bushy ginger tail lashing in the air. “We can’t last for much longer like this. You have to go get Bluestar!”

His fur prickled at the command given to him by the younger tom. “It will be too late, Redtail,” he growled. “Oakheart already left to get Stormstar. He’s probably halfway back here by now. Our only chance is to fight these cats off.”

Redtail hissed under his breath, but whatever he said was lost as another cry gathered their attention. “The RiverClan reinforcements are here!”

From the other side of the river, a massive dappled light gray tom emerged alongside several other cats. A loud caterwaul came from the tom’s twisted jaw, and the cats by his side raced through the river.

Tigerclaw’s tail lashed in frustration, but instead of leaping back into the fray, he jumped onto the nearest rock. “ThunderClan! Retreat!” Immediately the fighting stopped as his allies dashed back into the dark forest. He watched them all go until he was the last one still in the clearing. With narrowed yellow eyes and ears pinned back, he growled at the sight of the RiverClan cats yowling their victory cry. Spitting in their direction, he turned and crept back into the brush, following his Clanmates with his tail tucked low.

 

*

 

A blue-gray molly sat in the middle of a clearing, gazing at the night sky with her blue eyes. All around her were the quiet noises of cats sleeping uneasily. From one of the dark corners of the clearing came the sounds of quiet meowing that steadily grew quieter until it disappeared altogether. A moment later, a small dark tortoiseshell and white molly emerged from the corner to join the blue-gray molly.

“I’m sorry to keep you up like this, Spottedleaf,” the blue-gray molly mewed softly. “I know how tired you are after journeying to meet the other healers.”

“It can’t be helped, Bluestar,” Spottedleaf murmured. “I simply can’t leave Mousefur’s injuries alone just to get some rest.”

Bluestar’s gaze cut to the dark corner where Spottedleaf had come from. “How is she? Mousefur?”

“She’s fine,” Spottedleaf purred. “The wound on her shoulder is deep, but she’s young; it’ll heal quickly.”

“Good,” Bluestar sighed, returning her gaze to the stars. A moment’s quiet fell upon them as the sky twinkled. She breathed in the fresh air and let a quiet breeze run through her fur. “It’s also good that there were no casualties from this fight. Thank StarClan.” Her blue eyes shifted to Spottedleaf. “Speaking of StarClan…”

A small chuckled passed Spottedleaf’s lips at the not-so-subtle prod. “Yes, StarClan spoke with me tonight. They sent me a vision of fire.” Bluestar straightened in alarm, but Spottedleaf soothed her with her soft tail. “The fire was no danger to me. Instead of being destructive, it felt comforting. Safe.”

Bluestar nodded quietly, eyes narrowing in thought. “So, this fire is something to be welcomed?”

“Yes,” Spottedleaf purred, amber eyes sparkling like the stars above. “Yes, I think it is.”


	3. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just on a roll with editing, so here's the first chapter early ;>
> 
> Little warning for some misgendering that happens, but it only happens twice and is very brief. 
> 
> Chapter 2 should be up by Sunday (maybe eariler ;> ). Enjoy ~

Rusty crept silently through the underbrush, eyes trained ahead of him where a plump mouse sat. He was hungry - it felt like he hadn’t eaten all day - and just looking at the rodent was making his mouth water. He kept as close as possible to the ground and moved slowly; it wouldn’t do his belly good if he scared it away.

Finally, he was close enough to pounce. He carefully began to position himself; tucking his fore paws in and adjusting his hind legs, all while keeping his gaze locked onto the mouse, who had yet to sense his presence. He was just about to launch himself when a cascading noise startled both him and the mouse. Growling, he watched it dive into a nearby hole.

He lifted his head to look for the noise that had caused him to lose his meal. But as he looked around, all he saw was the blending green of the forest. The noise died down and a new sound began. It sounded like a voice. He strained to hear what it was saying.

“Rusty… Rusty…” the voice called. “Rusty!”

He blinked awake, sitting up on the cold floor. The fresh smell of the forest was gone and in its place was his housefolk’s kitchen. He looked to where the voice was still calling and saw the pale ginger tabby pelt of his sister. “Princess?”

“The housefolk just refilled our bowls; it’s time for dinner. Hurry up or I’ll eat your share.”

_A dream, huh_ , Rusty thought as he stretched out his muscles, feeling his collar pull against his neck and hearing the bell attached to it jingle with his movements. He glanced out the kitchen window to see the moon shining behind a thin layer of clouds. Then he turned his attention to his food bowl; the hunger from his dream had followed him into reality. The pellets were a bit bland, but he ate it all just so Princess wouldn’t get any of his share.

“Have a nice nap?” Princess asked once she was finished, licking one of her white paws and drawing it over her face.

“Yeah,” Rusty answered. He licked his chops before he continued, “I had that dream where I was in the forest again. Hunting for my own food.”

Princess wrinkled her nose. “Like mice?”

“Exactly like mice,” he purred. “I wonder what a real mouse tastes like… I’m positive it’s better than these pellets.” He gave his food bowl a small swipe.

“Well I happen to love these pellets. Besides, the forest is dangerous. Haven’t you heard Smudge’s stories about the wild cats living in there? Who eat kits for breakfast?”

He gave her a look. “Yeah, Smudge has told us that story every time we see him. And just because he heard it from Henry doesn’t mean that it’s true. That fat old tom has nothing better to do than to make up stories.”

“Well,” Princess countered like the argument was a game (a game that they’d played for a very long time), “even if there weren’t any wild cats waiting around to eat you, it’s still dangerous. No one knows exactly what’s in the forest. You know why?”

“Why?” he asked with a sigh.

“Because everyone that’s gone into the forest has never come back!” she cried, but Rusty paid her no mind. They both knew nothing was going to stop him from wondering about the forest and everything inside it.

“Maybe whatever’s out there is so much better than here, and _that’s_ why they never come back. Not because something ate them.” Tired with their back and forth, he stood and walked to the kitchen door, sliding under the flap to get outside. It had rained recently; the air smelled damp.

Princess followed him outside. “Listen, Rusty. You know I just worry every time you go out there. I keep thinking you won’t come back and I’ll be left here alone.”

“You won’t be alone,” he mewed, half listening. He padded up to the white fence that marked the end of the garden and crouched, jumping onto it in one clean jump. “You’ll have our housefolk. And Smudge.”

She jumped up next to him. “You’re not helping.”

“Look,” he said, meeting his sister’s gaze head on. “I know that you worry over me, but I’m fine. You know how stir crazy I’d get if I never went out like this. Besides, the only things I’ve ever seen out there are mice and the occasional squirrel. Stuff we don’t already see in the garden. Even if I saw something bad, I’d just come running back here. That’s a promise, okay?” Before she could respond, Rusty hopped down from the fence onto the other side of the garden, the irritating bell around his neck tinkling. The forest loomed over him, and he could feel the familiar excitement in his paws.

“Okay…” He heard Princess mew. “Just don’t go very far.”

“Where’s she going?” asked a new voice. They both looked to see a black and white tom sitting on the fence of the garden next to theirs. It was Smudge, their neighbor.

Rusty and Princess gave him a glare, the latter hissing something to him that Rusty couldn’t catch.

Smudge rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I meant, where’s _he_ going?”

“None of your business,” Rusty huffed, turning tail into the forest. From behind him, he heard his sister call out for him to be careful and Smudge mutter to himself.

Once their voices faded, he let himself soak in the wonder that came with the forest. Fresh, mossy air; soft, slick grass; tall, looming trees. He felt the tension leak out of him the longer he wandered. Disregarding that Princess had told him to not stray far, he kept going deeper, following where his gut told him to go.

Eventually, a noise caught his attention. Rusty glanced over in the direction it came from and spotted a tiny gray creature nibbling something by a tree. A thrill went down his spine. _I_ _t’s a real, live mouse!_ And he was going to catch it.

Remembering what he did in his dreams, he crouched down low to the ground. The mouse hadn’t noticed him yet, its back turned the other way. Eyes locked onto his target, he lifted one hesitant paw and began to move forward.

But as soon as his paw touched the ground, the mouse perked up, spotted Rusty, and darted behind a root and into its hole. Rusty frowned and sat back up. _Mousebrain. Of course what you did in your dream wouldn’t work out in the real forest_. Disappointment pooled in his belly; he had been looking forward to trying a mouse for the first time. Looking at how well he did this time around, it seemed that time was a long ways away.

Another noise caught his attention. Hoping for a second chance at a mouse, Rusty eagerly turned to scan the bush the noise had come from. A soft breeze, however, carried the scent of, not a mouse, but something else. Suddenly cautious, Rusty dropped low and focused on the bush. The rustling came again, and he caught sight of a bushy red tail with a white tip peeking over the top of the leaves.

That was definitely not a mouse.

Rusty held his breath as the thing - whatever it was, it didn’t smell of cat, nor dog - crept closer. He frozen to the spot as a terrifying thought entered his mind, _was this what a mouse feels like while being hunted?_

Before he could find out if he was dead meat, however, another, louder noise came crashing in from behind him. The creature with the red tail startled and dashed in the opposite direction, but Rusty, unfortunately, did not react as quickly.

A large mass landed on his back, claws digging into his skin. He shrieked and tried to jump to jostle the weight, but the claws only dug in deeper. The scent of a tom cat hit him, and Smudge’s story of wild cats eating kits for breakfast had fear coursing through him. Thinking quickly, he forced himself to relax as if defeated. Once he felt the claws loosen, he flipped hard onto his back and heard a shocked _oompf_ from the tom as the breath was pulled out from him. The claws released him and he quickly got back to his feet, facing the tom fully.

The tom was bigger than him, but seemed to be around his age, and had a dark gray pelt with a black stripe running from his forehead down to the tip of his tail. He was trying to get up, having clearly been winded by what Rusty had done.

As Rusty watched this tom get up, he thought of the promise he made to Princess about running straight back to the garden if he got into trouble. He knew he was going to have to break that promise; there was no way he was going to be able to outrun this cat. Which meant he was going to have to fight. But he had never fought before in his life, how was he going to defend himself against this huge tom?

The tom righted himself, and Rusty fearfully let out a small hiss. But instead of attacking him, the tom just laughed. “You’re a kittypet, aren’t you?” he meowed, sitting himself down. “But you got some fight in you. I can admire that.” Calmly, he began to groom himself.

Rusty stood, shocked. All signs of a fight were gone, but he couldn’t let himself calm down just yet; this could be a trap to let his guard down and attack him while he’s wide open.

Pausing in his grooming, the tom glanced at him with yellow eyes. “You still wanna fight?” His words made Rusty tense up. “I’m not going to fight you. You’re just a kittypet; I’d squash you!”

Rusty smarted at the words, even though he knew them to be true.

The tom set his paw down. “But, hey, I gotta give you credit; that move you did to get me off of you was pretty good.”

“Really?” he asked, fur starting to lie flat.

“Ah,” the tom purred, “she speaks.”

Rusty flinched, looking down at his paws. “... he.”

“Huh?” The tom blinked, then smiled. “Ah. Sorry. _He_ speaks.”

The easy correction had Rusty smiling, even though he tried to push it down; he still wasn’t sure what this tom’s intentions were.

“What’s your name, kittypet?” he asked, going back to grooming.

“Rusty…”

“Rus-ty,” the tom sounded out. “I’m Grayki - ” He stopped himself. “Sorry, Gray _paw_. Until recently I was Graykit, so I’m still getting used to the name change.”

“Name change...?” Rusty asked, slowly sitting down. When all Graypaw did was keep grooming himself, he let the tension drop from his shoulders. He thought of his own name change when he had figured out he was a tom and not a molly, but he had a feeling that their reasonings weren’t the same. “Why?”

Graypaw smirked at him, chest puffing up. “Because I’m an apprentice now, and when you become an apprentice, you become a ’paw.”

Rusty just stared.

“Ah,” Graypaw huffed, “you don’t know what I’m talking about, do you?” He shook his head. “I guess it doesn’t matter. You’re not a ThunderClan cat; you’re a kittypet, so you’ll never understand.”

His words ruffled Rusty’s fur. “I think I could learn to understand.”

“Oh?” Graypaw smiled. “You really are an interesting kittypet. But you should probably get going. This isn’t your territory to be on, after all.”

Rusty frowned. “But I was just having a look around - ”

“No you weren’t. I saw you trying to get that mouse earlier. Even if you weren’t even close to catching it, attempting to catch ThunderClan prey is a pretty big offense. If you hadn’t caught my attention with that move of yours and the way you stuck around to keep fighting, I’d have run you off in a heartbeat.”

Rusty didn’t know whether to be offended about the comment to his hunting or relieved that he hadn’t been chased back to his garden. _Yet_ , he thought. _If I don’t do as he says and get going soon, maybe he will chase me after all._ “Ok,” he mewed, “I’ll - ”

“Wait,” Graypaw interrupted. He had gone stiff, and he smelled the air with a nervous flick of his ear. “I smell my Clanmates. They’re coming this way.” He looked frantically to Rusty. “You have to go _now_.”

Even though just a moment before he had been willing to leave, the mention of more wild cats coming suddenly had Rusty frozen to the ground. “What - ”

“Too late,” Graypaw murmured, just as the bushes next to them rustled and parted to reveal two large, intimidating cats.

The first was the largest of the two, easily towering over both him and Graypaw. He had silver - almost white in the moonlight - fur and looked to Graypaw with a frown. The second wasn’t as big as the first, but her intense blue gaze pinned Rusty to the ground with fear. She had blue-gray fur and an intimidating scar running across her shoulder blades.

Graypaw ducked his head as the two newcomers fully exited the brush. “Whitestorm, Bluestar, I’m sorry for going off on my own. I just smelled something and thought I’d go take care of it - ”

“It’s all right, Graypaw,” the one Rusty presumed to be Whitestorm given his fur purred. “We knew you snuck off and followed you to make sure you didn’t get into any trouble. It was good instincts for you to immediately attacked the intruder like you did.”

While Graypaw glowed in the praise, Rusty only grew more terrified. _Intruder?!_ He didn’t want to know what these cats would do to an intruder, but there was no way for him to escape now; he was surrounded.

“But it was still foolish for a recently appointed apprentice like you to go off on your own like that,” the molly - Bluestar, most likely - chastised. She sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes. “Especially when there’s a fox around.” She turned to her companion. “When we get back to camp, be sure to tell the queens to be vigilant.” Whitestorm dipped his head.

Graypaw’s smile faded as he nodded. “Yes, Bluestar. It won't happen again.”

“Fox?” Rusty couldn’t help but ask. Was that what he had seen before Graypaw had attacked him? He immediately regretted opening his mouth when all eyes trained on him, and he sunk down to the dirt to try and hide.

“Yes, a fox,” Bluestar said. “They’re creatures that prey on kits. It was lucky that Graypaw had come when he did, or else you wouldn’t be sitting here with us.”

Rusty swallowed thickly. He glanced at Graypaw and found him to be equally as frightened; apparently he hadn’t known about how close they were to danger either.

After a moment’s pause, Bluestar continued thoughtfully, “you were quite the sight to see while trying to fight off Graypaw, young kit. Any other kittypet would have given up as soon as he landed on them.”

“Any other kittypet wouldn’t be wandering so far into the woods,” Whitestorm commented, though his words sounded kind and Rusty took it as a compliment.

Bluestar inclined her head. “Yes, that’s true.” She seemed to scan him, as if looking for something.

While he waited, Rusty realized that he had already begun to relax, no longer feeling as threatened by these cats as he had been moments ago. He supposed that if they were going to drive him off - or worse - they would have done that already. Upon having this thought, he positioned himself into sitting instead of cowering.

As soon as he did this, he thought he saw something in her eyes sparkle.

Graypaw inched towards him until he was within whispering distance. “That’s Bluestar, the _leader_ of my Clan. And the tom next to her is Whitestorm. He’s my mentor. She’s his aunt.”

Whitestorm chuckled. “Thank you for the introductions, Graypaw, even if that last bit was unnecessary.”

“Well, maybe he was curious,” Graypaw grumbled.

Rusty smiled. Graypaw’s voice helped release the last bit of nerves that were nipping at his paws. Suddenly feeling courageous, he lifted his head and asked, “what exactly is ThunderClan?”

He could see Graypaw at the edge of his vision gape at him, but Bluestar merely smiled at him. “ThunderClan is the Clan Whitestorm, Graypaw, and I belong to. It is home to many cats of all ages, who we take care of by hunting and protecting our borders.”

“Protect them from who?”

“There are three other Clans who live near us. ShadowClan” - she nodded to his right - “ RiverClan” - to his left - “and WindClan.” Somewhere ahead of them. “Sometimes they will try to hunt in our territory and take it for themselves, but we won’t allow that; we have too many mouths to feed.”

Her last words sent a pang of guilt through him. “... Is that why me trying to catch a mouse here an offense?”

Bluestar blinked at him, then smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s why.”

He looked down at his paws. “Then I’m sorry. I didn’t know there were so many cats out here that needed it. I promise I won’t hunt here again.”

Rusty expected Bluestar to agree and send him on his way, but the words never came. When she hadn’t said anything in a while, he dared to look back up and gauge her reaction. Her face had an emotion that was hard to read, but her muzzle still had the hint of a smile to it.

Finally, she spoke. “Rusty, is it?” He nodded. “What would you say if, instead of making you go back to your Twoleg den, I invited you to our camp?”

The breath escaped him, and Graypaw gasped. “You mean, ask him to join ThunderClan?”

Bluestar nodded. “That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Are you sure of this, Bluestar?” Whitestorm murmured beside her. “He’s around apprenticeship age; he could be too used to kittypet life to settle comfortably in Clan life.”

“Then we’ll have to see for ourselves if that’s true or not. But knowing how often I hear of a dark ginger tabby kit near the edge of the forest looking in like there’s no place he’d rather be, I would bet that it’s not.”

As the three conversed, Rusty sat dumbfounded. Was this really happening? Did the leader of a Clan of wild cats just ask him to join? Ask him if he wanted to live out every dream he’s ever had? Exhilaration filled him, making it a bit hard to breathe.

But then he thought of Princess, and he deflated. They’d been together since they were born, their housefolk choosing the both of them instead of one or the other. Memories of their mother and siblings had long since faded from his mind, but it didn’t matter as long as he had Princess by his side. She had always supported him, especially when he’d confessed that he had felt more like a tom than a molly, always defending him when Smudge decided to be snarky about it.

If he left with these cats, would he ever see her again?

“Can… can I think about this?” he asked slowly, worried any sign of hesitation would result in a retraction of the offer.

But Bluestar just nodded. “Of course. This is a big decision. I didn’t expect you to agree to it right away. I’ll send Whitestorm over towards your Twoleg den tomorrow at sun high to hear your decision.”

“Thank you,” Rusty breathed.

She nodded again, then turned to leave. Whitestorm followed, sending him a short, “see you tomorrow” before he disappeared back into the brush.

Graypaw made a move to leave as well, but stopped in front of Rusty. “You’re really thinking of joining?” he asked, trying and failing to hide his excitement.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “I am.”

“Good! You should, ’cause living in ThunderClan is the best life. Sure it’s hard when prey starts to run low or tensions with other Clan are high, but we know that our bond as a Clan will get us through it.” Graypaw smirked at him. “And I’d really love it if you did join. It’d be nice having another cat my age around.”

Rusty’s smile expanded so much his cheeks began to hurt.

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. See you tomorrow maybe?”

“Maybe,” he answered, though it was starting to sound more like a ‘yes’.

Graypaw gave him one last dazzling smile before dashing off behind his leader and mentor, leaving Rusty alone in the dark forest to think before he, too, headed back to where he came from.


	4. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad yall really like trans Rusty, so here's the second chapter early (again) !
> 
> Since I'm obviously being quick about editing, I'm going to set a deadline for when I need to have the next chapters edited by, just in case something happens and I need to kick myself back into action. Deadline for next chapter is therefore going to be Tuesday ! Enjoy ~

As Rusty emerged from the forest, he could see the pacing figure of Princess highlighted by the moon. He made sure as he padded up to her to make his footsteps as loud as possible, and it wasn’t long before she heard his arrival.

“Rusty!” she cried. “You were in there forever! I was just thinking about jumping down there myself to go look for you.”

“Well, there’s no need for that,” he purred, jumping onto the fence next to her. The purr faded when he saw just how rumpled her fur looked and the wild gleam in her amber eyes. He gently butted his head on her shoulder. “I’m sorry for taking so long to get back.”

Princess sniffed his pelt and wrinkled her nose. “Did you get lost in there? I told you not to go too far.”

“I know. I just got carried away. But I didn’t get lost.” He couldn’t help the smile that burst from him. “You’ll never guess what happened in there.”

She cocked her head. “You… caught a mouse? Did you eat it? Ew, get your mouse breath away from me.” With an exaggerated expression of disgust, she jokingly tried to push him off the fence.

Rusty laughed as he easily regained his balance. “No, but I wish. I did see one, and I did try to catch it, but apparently stalking prey in your dreams isn’t the same as doing it in real life.”

“Obviously,” Princess purred. “So, if you didn’t catch a mouse, what did happen?”

He grinned and could practically feel his eyes sparkle with excitement. “I met some wild cats. They asked me if I wanted to join their Clan!”

“What?!” she cried. In her shock, she almost toppled back into the garden. 

“I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either!  _ Real _ wild cats, and they wanted  _ me _ to go back with them to their camp!”

“How many were there?” Princess asked anxiously as she sniffed at him again. “Did they fight you? Did you get hurt? Are you all right?”

Rusty rolled his eyes and gently pushed her away. “Yes, I’m fine. No, I didn’t get hurt. There were three of them. One was our age, and the other two were full grown.” He paused sheepishly. “And… yes, I did get into a bit of a fight.” When Princess sharply inhaled, he was quick to continue, “but it was only with the one our age! And he didn’t hurt me once he realized I wasn’t another wild cat.” He puffed out his chest a little bit. “He even said that he was impressed with how I dealt with him jumping on me.”

“He  _ jumped _ on you?!” Princess asked, voice high pitched. “Rusty, do you know how lucky you are even to be  _ alive _ ? Those cats could’ve eaten you!”

Rusty huffed. “You’re starting to sound more and more like Smudge, you know?”

“This isn’t a joke, Rusty!” she snapped, and he recoiled a bit. Princess glared at him for a moment before sighing. “When you didn’t come back after the usual amount of time passed, I got worried.  _ Really _ worried. I thought you were  _ dead _ Rusty!”

“I know,” he murmured, slinking into a crouching position. “And I really am sorry for making you think that. But…” He looked up into her eyes. “Princess, this could be my one chance to live the life I’ve always dreamed of. You know I’ve never felt comfortable here with the housefolk. So, when they asked if I wanted to join their Clan… I really, really wanted to say ‘yes’.”

“And did you?”   


“No. I thought about you, and how unfair it’d be to agree to something like this without talking to my wonderful sister first.” This made Princess smile. It was a small one, but Rusty counted that as a win. “So, I said that I would think about it. They’re expecting my decision by tomorrow’s sunhigh.” She looked wary at the mention of the deadline. “Look, it’s late. We don’t have to talk about this anymore. Let’s go back inside to sleep, and we’ll discuss it properly tomorrow morning.”

Princess nodded wordlessly. Gently, he nudged her down the fence and into the garden, where they padded silently into the house and to their beds. 

Rusty fell asleep to the thoughts of running free in the forest, and eating all the mice he could get his paws on. 

 

*

 

He awoke the next day to the soft prodding of a paw. “Hmm…? Princess?” he asked groggily, lifting his head up and yawning. The sun had just risen, its rays peeking through the window and onto the floor. Princess sat over him. He couldn’t tell if she had gotten any sleep or not. “What is it?”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve decided to let you go.” Before he could respond, she continued, “I realized that you really want this, and when you really want something, there’s nothing that can change your mind. So, instead of pointlessly arguing with you about it, or forcing you to stay with me and be miserable for the rest of your life, I’m saying it’s okay. I’ll be fine. Just… promise me to check in with me every once and while, all right?"

Slowly, he rose to sit next to her, smile already showing on his face. “Of course. I promise. No,  _ double _ promise. At least once every moon. How does that sound.”

“Perfect,” she purred. “Now, let’s spend our last day together like how we used to; play fighting out in the garden until we’re too tired to move.”

Rusty laughed past the lump in his throat. “There’s no other way I’d rather spend it.”

 

*

 

The morning went quickly. There were no clouds in the sky, so the air heated up quickly and evaporated the dew that sat on the grass in the garden. Rusty and Princess, from the moment after eating the breakfast their housefolk gave them (the last time he would eat such a thing, Rusty had thought thankfully), played outside like they were small kits again. Midway through the morning, Smudge had come out to watch, but not join. He had claimed that he was too old for such playing, even though he was actually a moon younger than them.

Eventually, they began to tire out. Soon they were spread out in the sun on their backs, enjoying the last moments they had before Rusty’s life changed forever.

And then, it was time. 

The sun was high in the sky overhead and it was with a hint of sadness that he woke Princess up from her nap. Quietly, the two of them hopped the fence and stared out into the forest.

“So, this is it,” Rusty mewed, caught between excitement and melancholy. 

“Want me to wake Smudge?” Her gaze slid over to where the plump black and white tom lay, stretched out and slightly snoring in a sunny patch of the garden.

Rusty snorted, and there was some bitterness in his voice as he said, “no, let him sleep. You’ll love his face when he wakes up and realizes I’m gone.”

Princess smiled, leaning into his side. “Remember your promise.”

“Of course.”

“And please be careful.”

“Always.”

“And if anyone gives you a bad time, you just come get me and I’ll beat them up. I don’t care if they’re a wild cat or twice my size; no one picks on my brother and gets away with it!”

They both laughed until Rusty caught sight of something moving behind the treeline. “I think he’s here…”

“Well then, get going already, before I  _ really _ get emotional!” With a little too much force to be called gentle, she gave him a push that sent him off the fence, the bell on his collar jingling loudly as he hit the ground. “Goodbye, Rusty. Hope this works out. If not, you always got me back here.”

Rusty looked up at her with a small smile. “Thanks. Goodbye, Princess.”

And with that, he turned and entered the forest, leaving his house and garden behind him.

As he padded through the forest, he kept sniffing the air for the hint of Whitestorm’s scent. It wasn’t until he was halfway to where he had met him the day before that the fresh smell of the big tom hit his nose. “Whitestorm?” he called out hesitantly, glancing at where he thought him to be.

“I’m here,” came the answer. He watched as Whitestorm emerged few bushes to the left of where he had been looking. “I was wondering how long it would take you to notice my presence. It took longer than it should have considering you’re downwind from me, but after a bit of training, you should be on par with others your age.”

Rusty nodded, deciding to call that a compliment. “I’ve made my decision.”

“I should hope so. But before you tell me, let me introduce you to someone.” Whitestorm flicked his tail and from behind him came another tom.

This cat was bigger than Whitestorm and had a long pale golden tabby pelt. The fur around his neck was thick and framed his head like a mane. He looked down at Rusty with warm green eyes. 

“Rusty, this is Lionheart. He’s the deputy of ThunderClan.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, young one,” Lionheart purred.

Amazed, Rusty could only dip his head respectfully. 

“Now, let’s hear what your decision is, shall we?” Whitestorm prompted. “Will you come back with us to ThunderClan’s camp?”

Rusty swallowed. “Yes,” he answered confidently. “It would be an honor to join you in ThunderClan.”

“Are you sure, young one?” Lionheart asked calmly. “ThunderClan life is not as easy as the life you grew up with. Sometimes there isn’t enough prey to go around, and battles over borders are common. The forest is also home to many dangerous creatures. You could easily get hurt, or worse.” He paused as Rusty soaked in his warning. “Knowing all of this, do you still wish to join us?”

Thinking of Graypaw’s words yesterday, Rusty smiled. “Yes. There’s nothing more that I’d want to do.” 

Whitestorm and Lionheart smiled at one another before the latter turned back to Rusty. “Well, if that’s your decision, then we better do something about that collar of yours.” His bushy tail tapped the collar, bell attached, around Rusty’s neck. “This marks your status as a kittypet, of which you are no longer, so it must come off.”

“Come off?” he echoed, trying to look down to see it, but having no success. “How? It’s been around my neck since my housefolk got me.”

“We simply have to break it,” Whitestorm said. He stepped in front of Rusty and reached down to grab the collar between his teeth, then pulled. Rusty was thankful that he was pulling from the front so the pressure was at the back of his neck rather than at his throat. A few moments of hard pulling later, he heard a loud  _ snap _ , and the collar came off his neck, dangling broken in Whitestorm’s jaws before being tossed on the ground. Rusty felt a cool, free sensation where it used to be. He breathed in, and smiled widely. In his glee, he reached out and buried the broken collar where it lay, like it was a piece of dirt that needed covering.

Lionheart nodded, a smile playing on his lips as he watched the collar disappear. “Good. Now that’s out of the way, we will leave for camp immediately. I believe there are a couple of cats waiting on your arrival, and we don’t want them to wait for too long.” 

Rusty watched, still a little dumbfounded, as Lionheart spun around and set off through the bushes at a brisk pace, Whitestorm following. He had to internally kick himself to get his own feet going so he wouldn’t lose them in the deep underbrush. And he would’ve lost them, too, since it was obvious they weren’t going easy on him just because he wasn’t used to running through a forest. Where they neatly hopped over branches, Rusty had to carefully climb over so he wouldn’t trip and fall on his face.

Finally, they came to a stop. Lionheart and Whitestorm didn’t look a bit tired, while Rusty panted softly, resisting the urge to flop down on his belly for a rest. The older cats shared an amused look between them, which had him forcing his breathing back to normal to try and preserve whatever pride he had left.

“The camp is just beyond us,” Lionheart meowed, nodding to the space ahead of them. Rusty squinted, but he couldn’t see anything besides the usual greens of the forest.

Whitestorm bent down to nudge his shoulder. “Use your nose,” he suggested, not without kindness.

And so he did. Closing his eyes to concentrate, he sniffed, then opened his jaws so he could taste the air as well. What he sensed had his eyes snap open in shock. “I smell lots of cats!” he cried with excitement. 

Lionheart purred a laugh. “Yes, and one day, you’ll be able to identify each scent and match it with its owner.”

Rusty felt some doubt towards that, since the sheer amount of scents hitting his nose was overwhelming to say the least. But if the deputy said he could, then he believed him.

“Come,” Whitestorm murmured. He realized that he’d been standing there as Lionheart lead the way into the camp, so he hurriedly padded ahead so that he flanked the deputy’s side as they approached a thick gorse bush. There was a tunnel, just wide enough so that one or two cats could squeeze in. Lionheart entered first with Rusty close behind and Whitestorm trailing. As the sharp edges of the gorse bush scraped at his sides, Rusty got his first look at ThunderClan’s camp.

The tunnel had lead into an open clearing, many pawsteps having worn away the grass so only dirt remained. It was edged with long thick grass, ferns and bramble bushes dotted along the sides. A fallen tree lay to Rusty’s right; the moss and lush grass on and around it spoke to how long it had been there. Across from the entrance sat a large, smooth rock with a crack on its side, lichen hanging down to cover whatever was inside it. Another, smaller rock sat to its right. It had a larger crack, but even though no lichen dangled from the opening, Rusty still couldn’t see what was past the shadows. The whole clearing was surrounded by tall gorse bushes and ferns that hid it from any cat or thing that wasn’t aware of its presence, which Rusty supposed was the point. 

And all around the clearing were cats. Many cats of many ages and sizes, most lounging in the sun and grooming each other’s fur. 

Whitestorm nodded to those cats as the three of them paused by the entrance. “What they’re doing over there is called sharing tongues. When cats are done with their duties, that’s how most chose to spend the their time. It helps strengthen the bonds we have with each other. And there - ” he gestured to a bramble bush - “is the nursery where all the kits are raised.” Though he couldn’t see any kits through the thick brambles, he could hear their squealing as a pale golden tabby - who looked very similar to Lionheart save for their size - exited through the opening. She was greeted by a gray tabby with a dark red tail. They exchanged a few words before the gray tabby slipped into the nursery to hush the crying kits, the other tabby going to a nice sunny patch to lay in. “Those two are caretakers. They may not have kits of their own, but they help raise those inside so that the queens don’t get too exhausted.”

Rusty nodded, too in awe to verbally respond. If he had thought the scents outside the camp were overwhelming, then this was almost maddening. There were far too many unfamiliar cat scents for him to think properly.

It wasn’t until his gaze landed on the familiar sight of thick dark gray fur that his mind began to clear. Graypaw was sitting next to a clump of ferns by a mossy tree stump, chatting with a small cat - a tom, Rusty managed to parse out - whose pelt was all black save for the tip of his tail and a small patch on his chest. Soon after he had spotted Graypaw, his yellow gaze wandered over and connected to his, and Graypaw seemed to brighten up at the sight of him. Excusing himself from the small tom, Graypaw rushed over with a giant smile.

“Rusty!” he purred, practically shoving him over with the force of his headbutt. “You came!” He looked down at his neck. “And you don’t have your collar anymore! That means it’s official, right?”

Laughing, Rusty righted himself and gave Graypaw his own, more controlled headbutt. “Yes, that’s right. I wouldn’t miss this opportunity for the world.” He looked back to the clearing and froze when he saw that most eyes were on him, Graypaw’s loud voice having gained the attention of the Clan cats. He began to shrink into himself, but Graypaw pressed into his side and gave him a reassuring smile that brought a little courage back to him.

“Don’t overwhelm him more than he already is, Graypaw,” Whitestorm warned, but he had a smile on his muzzle. After a quick glance at Lionheart, Rusty noticed he, too, seemed to find their reunion amusing.

“It’s fine,” Rusty reassured before Graypaw had the chance to give him some space. “It’s… nice to have a friend right now.”

Graypaw absolutely beamed at him, and the two older cats looked even more amused. Whitestorm nodded his understanding, then looked up and saw something that had him sitting taller. “Ah, here comes Bluestar.”

Sure enough, the gray-blue molly emerged from the crack in the rock, pushing aside the lichen with her nose, and smiled once she saw Rusty. As she made her way over, the cats in the clearing began to whisper, heads tucked low with gazes darting from Bluestar to Rusty.

“So, he came,” she purred, looking down at Rusty with warm blue eyes. He sat a little straighter under her gaze, but his tail flicked nervously, still aware of how many cats were staring at him. Lionheart dipped his head towards her while Whitestorm gave her shoulder a familiar bump. She looked over towards Graypaw and she chuckled. “And I see he’s already got a friend.” Graypaw’s smile turned sheepish, but no one denied it.

“He kept up with us on the journey here,” Lionheart reported. “We didn’t have to stop to let him catch up, even though we were expecting to.”

“Oh?” Bluestar mewed. “Then I guess that proves it then.” She glanced over her shoulder at all the cats staring at them. Most turned away when she spotted them, although others didn’t bother hiding. “I suppose I should announce his arrival to the rest of the Clan before they explode with gossip.”

Lionheart nodded and the two headed towards the large rock. Whitestorm lead Rusty - and subsequently Graypaw, who didn’t seem to want to leave Rusty’s side - to the middle of the clearing where they sat. Bluestar hopped onto the large rock while Lionheart sat on the ground next to it.

As soon as she had climbed the top, Bluestar called out to the camp, “let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Her call brought all the cats already in the clearing and those who had been hiding from view towards the Highrock, gathering around it, but leaving space so that other than Whitestorm and Graypaw, no one sat near Rusty. Among the cats who settled in the clearing was a small dark tortoiseshell and white molly who came from the crack in the smaller rock. When she had spotted Rusty, a surprised, but happy smile came to her, as if she had spotted an old acquaintance, even though he was positive they had never met. An uneasy feeling enveloped him as he was thinking that he was missing something.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed a newcomer among us,” Bluestar began, calling Rusty’s attention back on her. “He is around apprenticeship age, and has expressed interest in Clan life. So, I have invited him to join our Clan.”

All at once, many voices rose up from the clearing. They jumbled together, and Rusty was unable to parse out any single question.

“Silence!” Lionheart loudly called, and the din instantly quietened. “One at a time.”

A large dark brown tabby tom stood up, his yellow eyes fierce. 

“That’s Tigerclaw,” Graypaw whispered into Rusty’s ear. “He’s one of the senior warriors. Always very grumpy - ” Whitestorm hushed him with a quiet hiss.

“What is his origin?” Tigerclaw asked. Some cats nodded at the question.

Bluestar hesitated before answering, “he was a kittypet.”

The noise rose back up, many complaining and arguing instead of questioning this time. It got so bad that Lionheart had to jump onto Highrock next to Bluestar to get everyone to focus again.

A dark gray tabby stood next, and when Graypaw saw him, his ears pinned back. “Bluestar, we can’t let a kittypet join us! He wouldn’t last!”

“We’ve taken kits in before,” she calmly pointed out. 

“But those were kits only a couple moons old!” another tabby cried out. He had pale brown fur with black stripes. “This cat has spent his whole kithood being coddled by Twolegs!”

Murmurs of agreement rose up, and it was beginning to look like the meeting was going to go out of control until a quiet voice rose above the din.

“I believe he should stay.”

All eyes turned to look at the source of the voice. Rusty blinked when he saw that it was the small dark molly who had looked at him as if she knew him. Everyone quieted as they realized it was her who had spoken.

“Why do you think that, Spottedleaf?” Bluestar asked, but something in her voice hinted that she already knew the answer.

“Last halfmoon, I spoke with StarClan,” Spottedleaf mewed. “They sent me a vision of a fire that should be welcomed.” Several gasped echoed across the clearing. She looked at Rusty with her large amber eyes, and beckoned him closer with her large, fluffy tail.

Rusty sat frozen until both Whitestorm and Graypaw pushed him. Stiffly, he padded across the clearing to where she sat in front of the Highrock. 

“Sit here,” she kindly commanded, pointing to a sunny spot to her right. 

He did as he was told, captivated by the way she seemed to have everyone’s undivided attention. When he sat, more gasps sounded from the group and murmuring broke out. 

“As you can see, his coat glows like fire in the sun.  _ He _ is the fire that must be welcomed.”

Rusty looked down to see she was right, though he had always known his pelt did this; Princess had teased him about it occasionally when they were out playing in the sun. He hadn’t thought much of it, but as he looked around the clearing at the faces of the Clan, he realized that, somehow, this would be his way in.

“So?” Bluestar eventually asked, smirking to herself. “Are there any more objections?”

The clearing was quiet save for some grumbling coming from the last two tabbies who had spoke out. 

“Then he shall be welcomed into ThunderClan as StarClan has planned. Rusty.” He turned around to look up at Bluestar. “You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Firepaw.” She glanced up at the crowd. He followed her gaze to find a dark gray molly with brown flecks all over her face and pelt padding up to him. “Your mentor will be Brindleface. I hope she will pass down all she knows on to you.”

Brindleface leaned down and gently touched her nose to his. “Welcome to ThunderClan, Firepaw,” she purred softly.

As soon as this was done, cats began to call out his new name in celebration, though he noticed some didn’t join in, namely Tigerclaw and the two tabbies. Graypaw raced up to him and nearly tackled him to the ground again. “Firepaw!” he meowed, the name rolling off his tongue in a way he liked. “What a great name! It really suits you.”

Rusty - no,  _ Firepaw _ smiled. “Yeah, I like it.” Though that was an understatement. The name had already wormed its way into him and taken root, blooming a warm feeling that told him he was  _ home _ .


	5. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aand here's chapter 3 ! 
> 
> Special thank you to everyone following me on tumblr ! 50 followers now !!!
> 
> Deadline for next chapter is Wednesday ! Enjoy ~

“Graypaw?” Firepaw asked as the Clan began to disperse. “Who were those two tabbies beside Tigerclaw that spoke out against me joining?” The tabbies in question had moved off to the edge of the clearing, muttering between themselves. 

“Huh?” Graypaw followed his gaze and frowned. “Ah… that’s Darkstripe and Longtail. They’re the newest warriors and now they think they’re big shots. They like following Tigerclaw around like little ducklings.” 

He would’ve laughed at the mental image, but Graypaw seemed troubled as he watched the dark gray tabby. “So… you don’t like them?”

“More like they don’t like me. Specifically Darkstripe. He’s…” Graypaw sighed and finally looked back to Firepaw. “He’s my brother.”

“Brother?” He looked to Darkstripe, then back to Graypaw. Yes, now that he was looking at them properly, they both had a similar dark gray coat and yellow eyes. “But if he’s your brother, why doesn’t he like you?”

“Apparently, he was really close to our mother. But when I was born… she died, and I guess Darkstripe blamed me for it. He never visited me in the nursery and when I tried to approach him, he would yell at me to leave him alone.”

Firepaw frowned, throwing a glare at Darkstripe’s way even though the tabby wasn’t looking at him. “He’s as dumb as a mouse if he really blames you for that.” This got a snort out of Graypaw, which urged him on. “Honestly, he doesn’t even deserve to have you as a brother. Siblings have to stick together, especially if they’re all the family you have left. That’s why my sister and I are so close.”

“You have a sister?” Graypaw asked.

“Yeah, her name’s Princess.” He bumped his head against Graypaw’s shoulder. “You should meet her sometime. I’m sure you two would get along.”

Graypaw smirked, his liveliness slowly coming back to him. “Speaking of introductions, I should show you around camp! Now that you’re one of us, you have to know where everything is, and who cats are. Follow me!”

As he started walking towards the fallen tree Firepaw had seen earlier, he spotted Bluestar leaping off of the Highrock. “Goldenflower, Dustpaw,” she called out. A pale ginger tabby who looked almost as big as Lionheart and a dark brown tabby who looked similar to Tigerclaw save for his amber eyes quickly joined Bluestar in the middle of the clearing. They spoke a few words before the three of them raced out of camp and into the woods.

“Where are they going?” Firepaw asked, having stopped to watch. 

“Well, Bluestar only joins patrols when she’s expecting a fight, so they’re probably going to Sunningrocks. RiverClan had taken it from us last halfmoon, but it looks like they’re going to try and take it back.” Graypaw sniffed. “Dustpaw gets to go because he’s the oldest apprentice and needs the experience in order to become a good warrior. He’ll probably brag about it when he gets back.”

“So, they’re going to go fight?”

Graypaw shook his head. “I don’t think so. Bluestar is mates with RiverClan’s deputy, so she’ll probably negotiate before there’ll be any fighting.”

Firepaw raised a brow. “Mates? But I thought the other Clans were our enemies.”

“More like rivals. We’ll fight over territory disputes, but when one is in need, the others will try to help. At least, if they’re not too stubborn to ask for it. Some cats take mates from other Clans because… well, you know, they fall in love and all that junk.” Firepaw snorted. “Bluestar is one of those cats. Brindleface - your mentor - is another.” Graypaw nodded towards Brindleface chatting with Whitestorm in the middle of the clearing. “Her mate’s from WindClan, though they haven’t had any kits yet, unlike Bluestar and Oakheart. If they have kits, the kits will chose which Clan they want to join after doing half of their apprenticeship in each one. Bluestar and Oakheart’s kits all chose to go to RiverClan, which I think made her sad, but she still sees them at Gatherings.”

“Gatherings?” he asked slowly, mind spinning a bit with all the information. 

“Yeah, Gatherings. It’s when all four Clans comes together for a night of peace. They happen every fullmoon.”

Firepaw thought of seeing the moon the night before, and how close it had been to being full. “Oh, so that means one’s going to happen soon, right?”

“Yup, though we probably won’t be allowed to go yet. We’re still too young, and all that.

“Oh…” Disappointment washed over him.

“Don’t worry though,” Graypaw mewed. “Gatherings happen every moon, so we’re bound to go to one eventually. Now, let’s go give you that tour. Follow me!”

Firepaw smiled and nodded before following him to the fallen tree. Sitting under it on the lush grass were four old cats sharing a dead plump rabbit. As they approached, the cats lifted their heads and called out a couple of greetings to them.

“This is the elder’s den,” Graypaw explained to Firepaw before they ducked their heads into the small area. “It’s where warriors who are too old to perform duties live. They’ve done a lot for our Clan, so we have to respect them. Apprentices have to make sure they’re fed before we can get our own food.” As they entered, he nodded to each cat. “Good evening,” Graypaw meowed politely. Firepaw mimicked him. 

“Welcome to the Clan, young Firepaw,” a dark brown tabby rasped. Firepaw realized that half of his tail was missing, as well as the fur on the tip. “I’m Sparrowpelt. This is my mate, White-eye.” He nodded to a pale gray molly. One of her yellow eyes was clouded over. “And over here is Smallear” - a gray tom with folded ears nodded at him - “and Dappletail.” The last cat, a dappled tortoiseshell and white molly, purred her greeting. “Patchpelt is usually around here, but he’s stretching his legs off in camp somewhere.”

“It’s very nice to meet you all,” Firepaw mewed, dipping his head respectfully to each elder. 

“Have you two eaten yet?” White-eye asked.

They both shook their heads.

“Then why don’t you grab something and eat with us?” Dappletail suggested.

Graypaw hummed, then turned to Firepaw. “You haven’t had a mouse yet, have you?”

“No,” he answered, an excited realization coming to him.  _ I get to eat mice now! No more pellet food! _

“Well, that settles it!” Graypaw declared. “The next stop on our tour will be the freshkill pile! Follow me!”

As Graypaw lead the way towards the camp entrance, Firepaw could hear good hearted chuckling from behind them and smiled. “You don’t have to keep telling me to follow you, you know. You’re my official guide, after all.”

“Yeah, but it’s fun to say. Makes me feel like a leader.” He puffed out his chest and Firepaw laughed. They stopped by the camp entrance as Graypaw flicked his tail towards a pile of dead prey. “This is the freshkill pile. When you go out hunting for the Clan, you put what you caught here. Then, once you know the elders and queens have all been fed, you grab something for yourself!” 

“Wait,” Firepaw said as Graypaw bent down to grab a juicy mouse. “We don’t know if the queens have been fed, right?”

Graypaw purred at him. “Look at you! Already a good member of the Clan. But don’t worry, I saw Sandpaw going in there with something for them. She was probably the one who gave the elders that rabbit, too. Now, let’s give you a taste of the forest, shall we?”

Excitement nipped at his heels as they went back to the elder’s den. They settled on the lush grass, Firepaw eyeing the mouse the whole time. 

Nudging the creature towards him, Graypaw smiled. “Since this will be your first taste of mouse, I’ll give you the honors of having the first bite. Just save me a few mouthfuls, okay?”

His eyes sparkled. “Thank you.” Slowly, he sunk his teeth into its flesh, tearing a large piece off and giving it a good chew. The flavors hit him in a big wave; it was juicy, tangy, and with a hint of what he guessed a forest might taste like. 

“Well?” asked Graypaw with a teasing hint to his voice.

“It’s delicious!” Firepaw cried, and the elder’s den erupted into purrs of laughter. But he didn’t care; the bite was everything he had ever dreamed it to be, leaving the dry pellets he had been eating as a pet to look like lumps of dirt.

Graypaw, smiling wide, slid the rest of the mouse over to his side. “Let me have a bite, then you can have the rest.”

“Really? Are you sure?” he asked, even though his mouth was watering for another taste.

“Yeah, I can see how much you want another bite. Let it be a little welcoming gift from me to you,” Graypaw purred, taking his own bite before pawing the last few bites back to him.

Firepaw didn’t know what to say, so he let his gratefulness speak in the happy sounds he made as he tucked into it. While he was licking his lips clean, he thought of something that had confused him earlier when Spottedleaf had convinced ThunderClan to let him stay. “What’s… StarClan?”

Smallear scoffed. “You don’t know what StarClan is?”

The old tom sputtered as White-eye cuffed him across the ears. “Of course he hasn’t. Kittypets don’t learn about StarClan.”

Sparrowpelt smiled kindly at him. “It’s all right, young one,” he meowed. “StarClan is where all cats go when they pass on. They watch over us from Silverpelt, sending our healers visions that help guide us.”

“Silverpelt?” Firepaw echoed.

“It’s all those tiny lights up in the sky at night,” Graypaw explained. “Each little light is a cat that died and joined StarClan.”

“Okay…” he mewed. “I think I get it, but… what’s a healer?”

“That’s what Spottedleaf is,” Dappletail said. “She help heals cats when they’re sick or hurt, and receives the visions StarClan sends to us and interprets them. Apparently, the vision she got when she went to the Moonstone last halfmoon was about you, and how we are supposed to welcome you. Usually a healer doesn’t share their visions with anyone besides the leader, but she knew that was the only way we were going to accept you into the Clan.”

“The Moonstone is a place where the healers of all Clans go each halfmoon to speak with StarClan,” Graypaw said. “It’s the place where their visions are the clearest, I guess. It’s also the place every apprentice visits in the first moon of their apprenticeship to see if they’re meant to be a healer.” He looked at Firepaw with glowing yellow eyes. “So, the next halfmoon, we’ll get to go with Spottedleaf to the Moonstone!”

“Wow,” Firepaw whispered for lack of better words. It was a lot to take in, but he knew that there was even more things he didn’t know about the Clans, so he would have to process quickly in order to remember all of it.

“Ah,” Sparrowpelt sighed. “I remember when I went to the Moonstone. I didn’t have any visions, but the place was so magnificent that I couldn’t care less.”

The other elders nodded in agreement with small smiles on their faces. 

“Well,” Graypaw mewed, getting up and stretching his back legs. “Thank you very much for letting us eat with you all, but I’ve got to get Firepaw around to the rest of the camp before nightfall.”

“Welcome again, Firepaw,” Dappletail purred, the others echoing her words. “And thank you for stopping by to give us some company.”

Firepaw dipped his head, murmuring his own thanks, before Graypaw led them back out into the camp. Most of the cats were back to the spots they were at before Bluestar had called the meeting, so the clearing was easier to navigate. Graypaw headed towards the small rock Spottedleaf had come out of. Around it was an array of ferns and behind those Firepaw could spot a small, sparkling pond. 

“Inside that rock is Spottedleaf’s den and where she keeps all the herbs,” Graypaw whispered, even though Firepaw saw no reason why he had to. “No one’s allowed to go inside unless they’re sick or injured. I’ve never been inside, but I bet it’s really cool looking. Spottedleaf’s probably in there right now, preparing things just in case Bluestar’s patrol actually does get into a fight.”

Firepaw hummed. He didn’t see the appeal in the shadowy crevice, but seeing how much wonder Graypaw had for the place, he kept his thoughts to himself.

They continued on. “Of course, you’ve seen the Highrock. It’s used for Clan meetings and ceremonies, like making a kit an apprentice. Bluestar’s den is in the crack over there.” Graypaw pointed to said crack and the lichen covering the opening. “No one’s allowed to go in there except Bluestar and Lionheart.”

Next was a thick bush that sat almost directly across from the camp entrance. “The warrior’s den is down there under the bush. It looks small from the outside, but I’ve heard it’s actually very spacious. But, I wouldn’t know because - ”

“Let me guess,” Firepaw said dryly, “because we’re not allowed inside?”

Graypaw laughed. “Yup, though the rules on going into the warrior’s den aren’t as strict as the healer or leader’s den. I’ve heard that if you ask a nice warrior very politely, they’ll let you go down and have a look around.”

As they chatted, a cat poked their head out to look at them. “Oh, it’s the new apprentice,” the molly said, fully exiting the warrior’s den. Her coat was a dark and dappled tortoiseshell color with a bushy ginger tail. “Having a little tour of the camp, are we?”

“Redtail,” Graypaw greeted, dipping his head. “Yeah, I was just showing Firepaw around.” He shuffled closer to Firepaw, eyes sparkling. “This is Redtail.  _ He’s _ Spottedleaf’s littermate.”

Realization dawned on him, leaving Firepaw gaping - probably rudely - at Redtail, but the warrior didn’t seem to mind. In fact,  _ he _ gave a little chuckle and bent down to briefly touch his nose to Firepaw’s forehead. “If you need any advice, I’ll be happy to help.”

Firepaw nodded eagerly, a happy glow leaving him a bit dizzy.  _ There’s another cat like me here! _ he thought.  _ Princess won’t believe it. I’ll have Smudge eat his words when I go back to visit! _

Redtail smiled before he turned to murmur something in the den. He moved out of the way as a molly exited behind him, following the path his bush red tail made for her. This molly had a very pale silver-gray coat, and her eyes were an unusual color of blue. “This is my sister, Willowpelt,” he said.

Willowpelt’s eyes glanced in his general direction, and she smiled. “You’re Firepaw, correct?”

“Yes...” he answered, fixated on her slightly clouded eyes. 

“Welcome to ThunderClan then.” She gave him a nod before Redtail walked past them to go out into the clearing, his tail guiding Willowpelt along with him.

As Firepaw watched them go, Graypaw explained, “Willowpelt’s eyesight isn’t that good. Apparently, she can only see very blurry shapes, but that didn’t stop her from becoming a warrior. She can hunt and fight like the rest of us, but she just needs a little bit of guiding from someone so she doesn’t trip on anything.” He cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Now, to our next stop!” 

Firepaw looked ahead at the thick bramble bush to the warrior’s den’s left. “That’s the nursery, isn’t it?”

“That’s the nursery, where kits are raise - ” Graypaw sputtered to a stop as he finally registered what Firepaw had said. “Wait, how did you know that?”

“Whitestorm pointed it out to me when we arrived.”

Graypaw pouted a bit, but pushed on with the tour. “Well, until a couple of days ago, I was living in there, so I know it pretty well.” Graypaw bounded up to the entrance of the bush that was only big enough for one full grown cat to squeeze through. “But, now that I’m not a kit anymore, I have to get permission from a caretaker to go in. Especially since Frostfur just had her kits.” 

As they walked up to the thick brambles, the gray tabby molly with a red tail who Firepaw recognized from when he first entered the camp came out and stretched. 

“Rosetail!” Graypaw greeted, bumping his head on her shoulder. 

The molly purred, licking him on his forehead. “Graypaw, what are you doing back over here? You’re not trying to get back in here, are you?” she teased.

“No, no. I’m just giving Firepaw here a tour of the camp.”

Firepaw gave a small dip of his head towards her. “Nice to meet you,” he mewed.

She smiled at him. “Pleasure’s mine.”

“After my mother died, Rosetail raised me, so she’s basically like my mom,” Graypaw said to Firepaw, though there was a bit of hesitance when he called her his mom. But before Firepaw could wonder why that was, Graypaw eagerly turned back to Rosetail. “We were wondering if we could go in and see Frostfur’s new litter.”

Rosetail’s smile turned apologetic. “Sorry, but Frostfur and her kits are sleeping right now.” Graypaw deflated. “But I could see if Swiftkit wants to meet the new addition to the Clan.”

Firepaw expected Graypaw to perk up at that, but instead he gave a half frown. “Well, I guess so.”

Rosetail rolled her eyes and whispered to Firepaw, “Graypaw and Swiftkit didn’t get along that well when they were in the nursery together. Swiftkit’s a bit shy, so he never wanted to play with Graypaw. Maybe you can imagine Graypaw when someone denies him something…”

An image popped into his head of Graypaw moping across camp and he snorted.

“Hey!” Graypaw protested. “I can hear you, you know!”

“Anyway, I’ll go get Swiftkit.” Rosetail turned around and re-entered the nursery, her red tail fluttering behind her. 

“Well,” Graypaw meowed as they waited, “since we won’t get to see Frostfur’s litter, I’ll just give you some details about them. Apparently there are four of them, and Sandpaw says they’re all really cute. She’s Frostfur’s daughter from her first litter, so she got to come in and see them right after they were born. Their father is Lionheart, which means they’ll be given good care since they’re the deputy’s kits. It’s why Sandpaw has such a superiority complex.”

“You don’t like Sandpaw?” Firepaw was slowly noting the list of dislikable cats was growing.

“No, her and Dustpaw are always bragging about being the kits of powerful cats. Dustpaw’s father is Tigerclaw and his mother is Goldenflower, who’s the sister to Lionheart.” Graypaw glanced around the clearing before whispering, “he probably got his bad attitude from Tigerclaw.”

Firepaw remembered Tigerclaw’s disapproval of him; if Dustpaw’s attitude was similar, then he wasn’t sure he wanted to meet him.

Before they could say anything else, the entrance to the nursery rustled. A moment later, Rosetail exited with a small black and white tom around two moons old. “When I mentioned the new apprentice was here to see him, he practically raced out of his nest,” Rosetail purred, looking down at the little kit, who was peeking out from behind her hind leg.

Taking a step forward, Firepaw crouched and smiled at the kit. “Hello there,” he said softly. “I’m Firepaw. It’s nice to meet you.”

Slowly, Swiftkit took some steps forward until he was no longer hiding behind Rosetail. “Are you really a kittypet?” he asked in the naive way kits do.

“Not anymore,” Graypaw said. As he spoke this, Swiftkit startled and ducked back behind Rosetail. Graypaw huffed, throwing a frustrated look to Firepaw, who had to hide his laughter; he looked exactly how Firepaw pictured him to be when grumpy. 

“I used to live with the… Twolegs,” Firepaw mewed to Swiftkit, stumbling a bit over the unfamiliar Clan term for housefolk. “But when I heard about Clan life, there was no way I’d pass it up, so when Bluestar asked if I wanted to come live here, I said ‘yes’.”

Swiftkit was staring at him with awe in his wide amber eyes, and it made him chuckle faintly. 

A small commotion behind them had Firepaw turn around in time to see Bluestar’s patrol returning. After a quick look over and spotting no injuries, he knew there hadn’t been a fight. Other cats had noticed their arrival as well and were coming back into the clearing to hear the report.

“Swiftkit’s getting a bit nervous,” Rosetail murmured, drawing Firepaw’s attention back to the kit. Indeed, Swiftkit was back to fully hiding behind Rosetail, body shaking. “I’m going to bring him inside so he can settle down. Thanks for stopping by.” They exchanged soft goodbyes as she ushered Swiftkit back into the safety of the nursery.

“Let’s go see if we got Sunningrocks back,” Graypaw said, trotting over to the middle of the clearing. Firepaw padded alongside him, watching as Bluestar made her way through the gathering crowd and up onto the Highrock.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!” she called. As the Clan regrouped, Firepaw spotted Tigerclaw sitting near the warrior’s den with Darkstripe and Longtail by his side. They each looked up at Bluestar with narrowed eyes.

“Has Sunningrocks been returned to its rightful owner?” Whitestorm loudly asked as everyone settled down.

Bluestar scanned the audience before a wide smile split her muzzle. “Yes, Sunningrocks is ours once more.”

The Clan burst into joyous noise, and even though Firepaw didn’t know what or where Sunningrocks was, he was caught up in the yowls of victory and felt the happiness all the same. 

“When we approached Sunningrocks, there was a RiverClan patrol consisting of Oakheart, Skyheart, and Mistyfoot. They were there to renew the border.” Several cats expressed their distaste for that by muttering small insults. “There was, however, no fight. We calmly debated with the patrol until it was established that ThunderClan needed it more due to having more mouths to feed. The RiverClan patrol left, and we re-established the border as it was a moon ago.”

More cries of victory sounded from the crowd, even as Bluestar called an end to the meeting. Firepaw was tempted to join them when he caught sight of Tigerclaw again. The senior warrior didn’t look thrilled or even happy about the outcome like everyone was. Instead, a faint scowl painted his face, and he muttered something to Darkstripe and Longtail that had them nodding with their own frowns. They then retreated into the warrior’s den.

Firepaw’s attention came back when Graypaw leaned into him to whisper, “Oakheart is Bluestar’s mate and Mistyfoot is one of their kits, so it’s no wonder that there wasn’t any fight.” Before Firepaw could think of a response to that, Graypw was already standing up and stretching. “Well, it’s getting pretty late,” he said, nodding towards the darkening sky. The moon shined brightly down at them. “Training starts at sunrise, so we’ll have to go to sleep soon. Which brings us to the last stop in our tour: the apprentice’s den!” 

Excitement flowed back into him as Graypaw walked towards a clump of ferns next to a tree stump. He was finally going to see where he was going to be sleeping for the next several moons! “How many other apprentices are there?” he asked as he eyed the ferns.

“Now there’s five of us; you, me, Dustpaw, Sandpaw, and Ravenpaw. Sandpaw and Ravenpaw should already be in here.” 

They pushed through the thick ferns until it opened up into a sleeping area that was lined with soft moss. Firepaw could tell where the nests were for the four apprentices by the way the moss was gathered up. And like Graypaw predicted, two cats were already inside, preparing to go to sleep. One of them was the small black tom that had been chatting with Graypaw when Firepaw arrived, and the other was a pale golden tabby who looked a lot like Lionheart. 

The tabby lifted her head as they came in and sniffed rudely at Firepaw. “So, here’s the new apprentice, huh?” she muttered. Her openly rude tone threw Firepaw for a loop and had him at a loss for words. “Great, now the den’s gonna smell like kittypet and Twolegs.” 

“Don’t mind Sandpaw,” Graypaw told him, walking over to the black tom. “She likes to put cats down for fun. It’s best to ignore her.” As she spat in his direction, he nudged the small tom in greeting. “Hey, Ravenpaw. This is Firepaw.” He looked to Firepaw. “This here is Ravenpaw. He’s the only other  _ good _ apprentice to hang around.”

Ravenpaw gave him a small smile. “Hello.”

“Hey,” he mewed back. Glancing around, he asked, “so, where do I sleep?”

“Not near me I hope!” Sandpaw called, but he heeded Graypaw’s advice and ignored her.

Graypaw settled himself into a nest by Ravenpaw. “Basically anywhere. There’s some space over here by me if you want. Just grab some moss and come on over.”

Nodding, he gathered up some soft moss that had no one’s scent on it and brought it over to Graypaw, padding it down with his paw. As he was making his nest, the ferns shook with the appearance of another cat. Firepaw recognized him as Dustpaw, the apprentice who went on Bluestar’s patrol.

When Dustpaw spotted him, he wrinkled his nose. “Does the kittypet really have to sleep with the rest of us? He’s stinking up the den.”

“That’s what I said,” Sandpaw growled. 

Graypaw scowled at the both of them. “Why don’t you two stop acting like spoiled kits and let the rest of us sleep, okay?”

Ravenpaw hid his snort in his paws, and Firepaw smiled to himself as the older apprentices sputtered. They eventually grumbled to themselves in their own nests on the opposite side of the den, tails lashing, but otherwise quiet. 

Firepaw yawned as he completed his nest. Graypaw and Ravenpaw laid their heads down, and soon the den was filled with the soft sounds of sleep. Firepaw got himself comfortable, but didn’t fall asleep right away. Instead, he lay in the glow of being a part of something so grand. 

After a while, he let his consciousness slip away, side pressed against Graypaw’s thick fur, and had a peaceful, dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 4 ! Tour of ThunderClan territory, along w/ some background info for the Clan that I've been hinting at on my blog for a little while now ;>
> 
> Next chapter deadline is Wednesday ! Enjoy ~

“Firepaw!” a voice called, followed by a gentle prodding in his side. “Firepaw! Wake up!”

Blurrily, Firepaw opened his eyes, and for a brief moment, he didn't know where he was. Then, as he looked up and saw Graypaw standing over him, all the memories of yesterday rushed back to him. A faint smile crossed his face; he still couldn’t believe that this was real. 

“Come on, Firepaw,” Graypaw groaned as he forced him into a standing position. “Whitestorm and Brindleface are waiting for us at the Sandy Hollow!”

Yawning, he looked around to find the den empty save for them. “Where’s everyone else?” he asked.

“They’re already awake. Dustpaw and Sandpaw are on hunting patrols all day, and Ravenpaw’s been assigned to take care of the elders and queens. Since you haven’t had a tour of our territory yet, we’re going to do that once we meet up with our mentors. Technically, we’re already supposed to be there, so hurry up and let’s go!”

That woke Firepaw up. Giving his fur a quick lick so he didn’t look so bedridden, he quickly followed Graypaw out of the apprentice’s den and into the clearing. He spotted Ravenpaw by the freshkill pile picking the elder’s food for them. When he caught his eye as they passed, Firepaw gave him a friendly smile for a greeting, which he received back right as they exited through the gorse tunnel. 

“The Sandy Hollow’s this way,” Graypaw said as they turned to the left of the entrance and around the tall gorse bushes that hid the camp until they reached a sandy clearing. Waiting for them there was Whitestorm and Brindleface, just like Graypaw had said. They seemed a little impatient by the way their tails were twitching, but they each smiled as Firepaw and Graypaw finally arrived.

“Sorry for making you wait so long,” Firepaw mewed with a small dip to his head. “I overslept.”

“It’s fine,” Brindleface said. “It’s your first day, after all. And a lot happened yesterday.

Whitestorm nodded. “Just make sure you arrive on time next time.”

“Of course,” Firepaw said, head still bent low. 

“Well, now that you’re here, we can finally start,” Brindleface meowed, standing and padding over to where they had entered from. “We’ll be walking around the whole territory to show you where the borders are. Be sure to remember them so you don’t accidentally cross and start a fight.”

Firepaw nodded, excitedly bounding behind his mentor. Whitestorm and Graypaw followed after him.

“Graypaw already had his tour of the territory,” Whitestorm said as they made their way through the forest. “That was when we first met you, Firepaw. But when Graypaw heard that you were going to have yours, he begged me to let him come with.”

“I did not beg!” Graypaw shouted, before looking away and grumbling, “besides, isn’t it good to get a refresher for this kind of thing?”

“Yes, yes,” Whitestorm purred, and Firepaw had to turn his face away to hide his laughter.

“We’re coming up on the Treecut Place,” Brindleface suddenly warned, drawing all the attention back ahead of them.

Firepaw blinked at his surroundings. The trees had turned from oaks to pines, and the ground was no longer littered with underbrush. Dirt had been placed with soft moss that easily gave way under his paws. 

“We’re in Tallpines right now,” Graypaw whispered to him. “The Twolegplace is nearby.”

“Really?” Firepaw glanced around him, but couldn’t see any familiar markings that told him he was near his old home. “Are we going there? Maybe we’ll see my sister.”

Graypaw frowned at him. “I… didn’t really want to say this yesterday, but it’s probably best that you don’t visit your sister for a while.”

“What?” he exclaimed, and Graypaw hushed him. “Why not?”

“Because right now, there’s a lot of cats back at the camp that don’t think you can be loyal to ThunderClan. They’re waiting for you to leave and go back to your Twoleg den. If they find out that you’re visiting your sister, they’ll think they’re right and make Bluestar kick you out. Especially if Tigerclaw’s the one that catches you; he might not be deputy, but he’s got a lot of sway as a senior warrior.” 

“Oh…” Firepaw said quietly, looking down to his paws. 

Graypaw lightly bumped into his side. “But, hey, once you’ve been here for a while, those suspicions will fade, and you can visit your sister whenever you’re out on patrol.”

“Hopefully that’ll be soon…” he murmured, mood sinking down to the moss. He’d been looking forward to telling Princess all that had happened and to soothe all the worries she must be having. But it seemed that would have to wait.

They walked a few paces more until the trees thinned out and the moss pulled back to reveal what Firepaw would assume to be the Treecut Place. A housefolk path stood in between them and the large fence that surrounded the area. 

“This path is what marks the end of our territory here,” Brindleface explained. “We don’t usually patrol this part of the forest because there are no Clans nearby, and most rouges would come from the Twolegplace instead of here. This path isn’t dangerous as long as you don’t cross it, since the Twolegs don’t stray off into the forest.” She nodded to the fenced area. “Beyond there is the Treecut Place. During greenleaf, the Twolegs will bring out their tree-eaters, so make sure to avoid this area when you hear the sound of trees falling and Twoleg monsters.”

_ Monsters… _ Firepaw thought with a shiver. He wondered what she meant by that.

Brindleface flicked her tail to the right. “We’ll continue this way to the river.”

The group turned away from the path and back into the pines. Firepaw was relieved to feel the soft moss under his paws again, but became disappointed when he realized they were heading in the opposite direction of his former house. It seemed he wouldn’t even get a chance to see Princess today.

Graypaw stuck by his side as they walked, Whitestorm moving ahead of them to chat with Brindleface. His friend seemed to sense his dampened mood, and so he pressed his flank against Firepaw’s every couple of heartbeats or so. Firepaw appreciated it, and sent his thanks by giving a quiet purr.

Eventually, Firepaw could hear the sound of running water. Brindleface and Whitestorm paused at the edge of the trees, which had begun to turn back to oaks, and waited for him and Graypaw to catch up. When he reached their side, he gasped at the sparkling river a tree-length ahead of them. It flowed from their right to their left, going towards a few houses down by the path. 

“The river serves as the border between us and RiverClan, from here until it splits,” Brindleface said quietly. She and Whitestorm scanned the the bank, then nodded to each other before leading him and Graypaw towards the edge. “We patrol this area frequently because RiverClan is known to sometimes cross and hunt on our side of the river.” She looked to Firepaw and Graypaw as Whitestorm began to remark the edge of the riverbank. “Until we have made it past this part of the border, we need to stay quiet in case a RiverClan patrol comes by. We’ve just gotten back Sunningrocks without a fight, but tensions are still high. We don’t need your first look at the territory to end with injury, Firepaw.”

Firepaw nodded firmly along with Graypaw. 

Once Whitestorm was done, they continued silently upstream. Firepaw kept his eyes on the other side of the river, on the lookout for any cats. But as they walked on, there was no sign of any patrol, and no scents indicated that RiverClan had crossed over to hunt. By the time they reached a patch of smooth, flat rocks that sat beside a shallower part of the river, Firepaw’s gaze had drifted to take in the surroundings more.

“This is Sunningrocks,” Graypaw whispered to him, drawing his attention to the formation. 

He immediately saw the appeal to the place. The rocks were low to the ground and shone prettily in the sunlight. The river was also slow enough to wade one’s paws in without having the fear of being swept away. And from what he could smell, there seemed to be a lot of hidden prey roaming the area. It was no wonder ThunderClan and RiverClan fought over it.

Brindleface and Whitestorm cautiously approached the riverbank, checking for any RiverClan cats or scents, before they worked on covering what little RiverClan scent was left. Firepaw could smell it, though it was very faint, and he was surprised by how different it was from the ThunderClan scent he was getting used to. Instead of smelling of the grassy forest, RiverClan smelled like damp moss. He didn’t like it that much.

“Firepaw,” Graypaw called softly, still heeding Brindleface’s command of quiet. He turned to see his friend sitting on one of the rocks, his eyes closed. Even from the distance between them, Firepaw could hear his delighted purr.

Curious, he approached the rock Graypaw sat on, reaching one paw out to feel the surface. To his pleasant surprise, it had a soothing warmness to it that had him quickly scrambling up next to Graypaw. Although this newleaf was warm and the day no cooler, the warmth the rock provided seeped into his bones and had him purring alongside Graypaw.  _ Yes, this place is  _ definitely _ something worth fighting for _ , he thought in bliss.

“Come along now,” Whitestorm whispered to them, breaking the spell they were under. “There’s still much of the territory to cover.”

With some reluctance, they stepped down from the stone and followed behind Whitestorm as Brindleface lead them further up the river. It wasn’t far until they reached where the river split, one side going straight ahead while the other, smaller stream cut in front of them. 

“We’ll be crossing this,” Brindleface said, stepping into the shallow stream. “Our next stop is Fourtrees.”

Firepaw wrinkled his nose as the cold water lapped gently at his paws. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, getting wet. He hoped he wouldn’t be forced to cross the main river anytime soon, especially near leafbare. But the stream was as thin as it was shallow, so it wasn’t long before he exited and could shake the excess water from his legs.

Past the stream and a tree that had a large hole in the trunk (“that’s the Owl Tree,” Graypaw had told him before Brindleface could get the chance. “We don’t hunt much around here because the owl scares off most prey.”), they came upon a path. It wasn’t like the housefolk path they encountered earlier, however. This path was made naturally by the many footsteps of cats, creatures, and housefolk alike. It came from RiverClan territory and went straight towards four very large oak trees in the distance.

Graypaw padded up to his side, tail high with energy. “That up there is Fourtrees. It’s where all the Clans go during a Gathering,” he said, voice back to its normal volume now that the RiverClan border had passed.

“Yes,” Whitestorm said with a nod, “and there will be a Gathering tonight.”

“Tonight?” Firepaw repeated. “But… we’re not going, right?”

Brindleface gave him a sympathetic smile. “Think of it as guarding the camp while the rest of us are out. Although each Clan is sworn to peace during the night of a Gathering, there may be other kinds of trouble that require cats to stay behind.”

“I guess so,” he murmured.

Graypaw glanced at him, then looked to their left. “Hey, on the other side of this path is WindClan territory.”

“What, really?” He looked to where Graypaw mentioned, but could only see a vast moor next to a gorge where the river ran through. “I don’t see any cats, though.”

“WindClan rarely hunts this close to Fourtrees,” Whitestorm explained. “So we don’t need to patrol this area that often either. Besides, it’s also so close to Fourtrees that it’s practically neutral territory.”

Firepaw hummed his acknowledgement. Closing his eyes, he tried to see if he could smell WindClan’s scent, but the breeze was blowing towards the moor, so he couldn’t catch anything besides the smells of the forest. 

Brindleface stopped them just before the four great oaks. “Since it’s so close to the Gathering, we won’t go inside, but if you did go in, you would see a large clearing with a rock in the middle. It’s called the Great Rock, and it’s where the leaders of each Clan sit while they share any news that’s happened over the past moon.”

“Why can’t we go in?” Firepaw asked, lifting himself onto his hind legs to try and see the clearing she was talking about, but saw nothing besides the dark shadows the trees cast.

“If other Clan cats smell stale ThunderClan scent when arriving tonight, they might think something suspicious is going on, and tensions might rise,” Whitestorm said. “Fourtrees is left alone for the day by all Clans to avoid that.”

Firepaw nodded, thinking that to be reasonable. 

“Now, we’ll continue onto the last part of our border,” Brindleface said. “Stay close.”

Slowly, they turned around and headed back towards where they came from, sticking to the left. They only took a few pawsteps before the ground seemed to rumble underneath them. Firepaw froze, but the other three kept walking. Graypaw looked over his shoulder and paused long enough for him to shake the fear from his paws and catch up to the top of a small rise where Brindleface and Whitestorm had stopped to crouch. As soon as he walked up to their side, he knew instantly what had made the rumbling noise.

Ahead of them lay a road, its scent foul in Firepaw’s mouth. A car passed by, making the ground minutely shake, startling him back a few paces with how fast it was going. He had seen cars before - had even been in one himself long ago when his old housefolk had taken him and Princess from his mother - and the only thing new about this road was that this was the first time he got a chance to smell one, but the cars he had seen had always gone at slower paces, and the roads by his house had been smaller. When cars raced by them here, the following wind was strong enough to ruffle his fur.

“This is the Thunderpath,” Brindleface said. “Those things you see running on them are called monsters.”

Firepaw blinked.  _ Ah, so that’s what a monster is to them, _ he thought. He understood why they called them that, especially these cars that went by faster than you could blink. 

“Stay away from it if you can,” she continued. “It’s dangerous to even put a paw on it, since you never know when a monster is coming.” She nodded to the area across from the road that was open and marshy. “The Thunderpath marks the border between us and ShadowClan, which is helpful, since they don’t want to cross it either. But since ShadowClan is and has always been ambitious, we must patrol this border frequently.”

He opened his mouth to try and get the scent of ShadowClan, but the reek of the road overwhelmed him too much to parse anything else out. 

“We’ll walk along this border until we reach the Great Sycamore, then we’ll head back to camp,” Whitestorm said, looking to Brindleface. “I don’t see much point in walking all the way to Snakerocks, especially since we’ve been walking all day. Plus these two haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

Firepaw and Graypaw shook their heads.

“Exhaustion and hunger can easily distract a cat and make them easy prey for an adder.” He padded on ahead. “So, as soon as we’re done here, you two will be done for the day.”

Graypaw quietly cheered next to Firepaw, who snorted. “You beg Whitestorm to come with me on this tour and now you’re so happy that it’s finally over?” he teased, ducking as Graypaw tried to swipe at his ear with sheathed claws.

“Don’t pretend that you’re not so tired you feel like your paws could fall off, too!” 

He was right, but Firepaw didn’t admit it out loud. Plus, with all the information he learned, his head was starting to swim. No doubt if they continued much longer he would get a headache. “Let’s just get back to camp and get something to eat,” he said instead.

As soon as they got to the Great Sycamore - a tall sycamore tree that towered above all other trees and had Firepaw gaping at it in awe - and had gotten the permission of their mentors, the two apprentices raced back through the brush to camp. Graypaw beat him to the gorse tunnel by the whiskers of his face and, by their agreed rules, got to pick out the freshkill they would share and have the first bite.

Panting to himself, Firepaw spotted Ravenpaw sitting outside the nursery, finishing up his own meal. He pointed him out to Graypaw, and they brought the plump rabbit over to sit next to him.

“Hey, Ravenpaw,” Firepaw greeted. 

“Hello,” the small tom mewed, licking his lips. “Did you enjoy your tour?”

Firepaw collapsed next to him with an exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, but my paws are killing me right now. And it feels like I haven’t eaten in days…” He looked forlornly at the rabbit as Graypaw took his large first bite. “Graypaw probably won’t even leave me anything and I’ll  _ starve _ .”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Graypaw muttered through a full mouth. “Here, you whiny kit.” He nudged the rabbit to him.

Firepaw purred his thanks, taking an even larger bite than Graypaw had.

“Hey!  _ Who’s _ going to leave  _ who _ with nothing?!”

Ravenpaw watched them with a faint smile. “So, there was no trouble along the borders?”

“No,” Firepaw said, swallowing his bite of rabbit and ignoring Graypaw’s swipe at him when he took it back. “I did catch the leftover scent of RiverClan over by Sunningrocks, though. Smelled weird. But anyway, how was taking care of the elders and queens?”

“Great, actually,” Ravenpaw purred. “The elders told me the story about SkyClan again, and I got to see Frostfur’s kits.”

Graypaw perked up. “Are they awake now? Can we see them?”

Ravenpaw gave him an apologetic smile. “Oh, sorry. I was kicked out when they fell asleep a short while ago. Maybe later?”

Huffing, Graypaw took a small bite of rabbit, pushing the rest to Firepaw. “That’s what everyone says… It’s like they’re never awake!”

“Wait…” Firepaw said after he finished up the last of the rabbit. “What did you say? SkyClan? I thought there was only four clans.”

“Oh!” Graypaw exclaimed, sitting up. “You haven’t heard it yet!” He looked to Ravenpaw. “Can I tell it?”

Ravenpaw laughed as he ducked his head. “Yeah, go ahead. I’m not a good storyteller anyway.”

“Not true, but thanks.” He turned back to Firepaw. “So, the story goes that a long, long time ago, there were actually five clans; ThunderClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and SkyClan. SkyClan lived in a deeper part of the forest that isn’t around anymore today, but I’ll get to that. Anyway, once during a Gathering, the  _ entire _ Clan of SkyClan cats showed up, even the tiniest kits and oldest elders. As you’ve figured out, only a select few get to go to a Gathering, so this was very unusual. The other clan leaders asked what was going on, and the SkyClan leader said that Twolegs had destroyed all of their territory, including their camp, so they had nowhere to go.”

“Why did they destroy it?” Firepaw asked, frowning. 

“Because they wanted to build their dens. Legend says that the Twolegplace was where their camp was.”

“Really?” he mewed. Had his old house been sitting on top of the SkyClan camp the whole time?

“Yeah. So, anyway, they basically asked the other clans for territory. But, at this time, the clans were mortal enemies, and were sworn not to interact with the other clans outside of battles - and there were battles basically every day back then. So, the leaders of the other Clans refused to help them. However, the healers of each clan suddenly received a vision from StarClan.” Graypaw paused to breathe, his eyes glowing a bright yellow. “It’s very,  _ very _ rare for StarClan to send visions to healers when they’re not sleeping or at the Moonstone, so this message was very important. Basically, the vision was the four oaks of Fourtrees, and the branches of each were separate from the other trees. And in the middle of them was a fallen tree, but instead of it rotting, the branches grew up into the branches of Fourtrees, connecting the four trees and making them stronger in the process.”

Firepaw tilted his head. “And what did that mean?”

“It meant that even though SkyClan had fallen, it didn’t mean they had to be kicked out of the territories. Instead, the healers told their leaders that StarClan wanted SkyClan to be divided into each of the remaining Clans. If they didn’t do this, then they would all eventually be destroyed by all the fights going on over little stuff.”

“And… the leaders listened to the healers?”

“Of course! To be a healer is to be one of the most respected cats in all four territories. Their visions from StarClan are the word of law, and to go against one would mean going against StarClan, which is a very big crime.”

“Oh,” he said, not knowing what else to say. 

“But, yeah, the leaders listened to the healers and allowed some SkyClan cats to join their Clan. And, because Clan bonds don’t go away that easily, the fighting between Clans stopped because no former SkyClan cat wanted to fight with their former Clanmate. As time passed, tensions died down, and friendships between Clans increased. And when some cats wanted to be mates with a cat from a different clan, they were allowed because it was by coming together that the Clans became stronger. Even though fighting over borders is still a thing, it’s a lesson that the Clans should never forget.” Graypaw laid back down, stretching his paws in front of him. “And that’s why the elders tell us this story to us when we’re kits. It was my favorite story of there’s to hear, and it still is!”

“Wow,” Firepaw murmured. “That  _ is _ a pretty good story...”

“Right?” Graypaw flipped onto his back and sighed. “I just wish that we could go to the Gathering tonight. What if something important happens and we’re not there to see it?!”

Firepaw looked to Ravenpaw. “Are you going?”

“No, but I’m told that next moon’s Gathering will be my first, though I don’t really mind staying behind. Fourtrees must be really crowded during them…”

“Yeah, but isn’t that the point to going?” Graypaw asked, rolling back over to stare up at him. “To meet all those cats from different Clans?”

Ravenpaw thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I’m fine with just knowing ThunderClan cats.”

“Then maybe next moon you’ll give your spot to one of us?” Graypaw asked, batting his eyes.

Ravenpaw snorted and pushed Graypaw away. “No, you’ll still be too young to go.” As Graypaw pouted at him, he added, “sorry, but you know Clan rules.”

“Yeah, you know them,” a new voice sudden sneered. Firepaw looked behind his shoulder to see Dustpaw and Sandpaw sitting by the apprentice’s den. Dustpaw was grinning while Sandpaw was sticking her nose up at them. “Although, if you’re hanging out with that  _ kittypet _ , then maybe you don’t know them after all.” They snickered at each other.

Firepaw had expected the two oldest apprentices were going to come at him again today, so he wasn’t fazed by their rude comments. Graypaw, however, immediately stood up, fur standing on end. “Why don’t you two just mind your own business for once?” he snapped.

They stopped laughing in order to frown at him. “Whatever,” Sandpaw spat at him. “We’re not going to stay here long anyways. After all,  _ we’re _ going to the Gathering tonight and you’re not.”

Graypaw puffed himself even more and Firepaw had to physically stand in front of him so that he wouldn’t go over and start a real fight. “It’s not worth it,” he whispered to his friend, tail soothing down Graypaw’s flank to try and calm him down. 

“If you ignore them, they’ll go away,” Ravenpaw mewed from Graypaw’s other side. 

Giving one last huff at the duo, Graypaw finally sat back down, licking his frazzled chest fur. This had the two of them throw a couple more snide remarks their way until a call from the middle of the clearing interrupted them. Bluestar stood on the Highrock, announcing that it was time for them to leave for the Gathering. Firepaw felt the tension drop as Dustpaw and Sandpaw trotted over to the group, finally leaving them alone. He sat next to Graypaw and helped him with smoothing his fur over.

It wasn’t until he was halfway done that he realized what he was doing was considering sharing tongues. Though he had helped Princess groom herself on some occasions, those sessions never lasted very long. A quick few licks and it was over. This, however, was a full bodied groom he was giving Graypaw, and he would’ve felt extremely self conscious if he hadn’t spotted Ravenpaw, who had settled down by the nursery wall and seemed content to groom his own fur, and that no one else in the clearing was giving them strange looks. But what really had him relaxing was when Graypaw began to groom him as well, lapping at the fur between his ears. 

They shared tongues well into the evening until Firepaw could no longer keep his eyes open. Deciding that they would hear of any important news from the Gathering the next morning, the three apprentices slowly migrated back to the apprentice’s den. As Firepaw curled into his nest, he relished in the peaceful quiet without Dustpaw and Sandpaw’s jeers. 


	7. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And chapter 5 is up ! 
> 
> Deadline for 6 is Saturday ! Please note that I'll be doing the Fire & Ice rewrite for NaNoWriMo starting the first of November, so editing may slow down as I focus on that.
> 
> Enjoy ~

Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw all woke on time the next day, creeping past the still sleeping forms of Dustpaw and Sandpaw. Firepaw remembered waking up earlier to them coming in, but they hadn’t said a word to him on what had happened. It was about as much as he expected, so he didn’t push them as they settled into their nests and he went back to sleep.

He didn’t know what those two were going to be up to for the day, but he did know that he, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw were going to train together in Sandy Hollow. His paws buzzed with excitement as he pushed through the gorse tunnel; it was his first training session.

The sun had barely risen as they entered the Sandy Hollow. A quick look around told them that they were early; none of their mentors were there yet.

Graypaw pounced on a leaf. “I can’t wait to start training!” he mewed, picking it up with his claw. “Ravenpaw, you’ve been training for around two moons already; what do you think we’ll be working on?”

Ravenpaw, however, didn’t respond. He’d been silent since they woke up, and he was staring at the leaf Graypaw had with a distant look in his eyes. 

Firepaw frowned. “Ravenpaw…?”

The small tom seemed to snap himself out of whatever trance he had been in. “Oh, sorry. What was the question?”

Graypaw let the leaf float away on a breeze before padding over to him. “You don’t seem so excited to be training again. I know that you’ve been stuck in camp for a while, so shouldn’t you be happy to be back out here?”

“An apprentice should  _ always _ be happy to train,” a voice growled from behind them. They turned to see Tigerclaw walk into the clearing, Whitestorm and Brindleface coming in after him. “Training makes you one step closer to being a warrior.”

Firepaw felt surprise rise inside him, followed by dread.  _ Tigerclaw is Ravenpaw’s mentor? _ he thought, glancing to Ravenpaw, who had crouched down to the ground, avoiding the large warrior’s gaze. He could now understand why Ravenpaw was so reluctant to train. He would be too if he had Tigerclaw for a mentor.

A sudden surge of defensiveness overwhelmed him. “He’s happy to be here,” he said, staring at Tigerclaw even as the intense yellow gaze was drawn to him. “He’s just tired because we stayed up too long waiting for the cats who went to the Gathering to come back.”

Tigerclaw’s lips curled to bare his teeth. “Then he should learn when to sleep, especially when he knows he’ll be training early in the morning. He’s been an apprentice long enough to realize this.”

Ravenpaw winced, and Firepaw felt guilty for allowing Tigerclaw to further dig into him. 

Brindleface cleared her throat. “Well, for training today, we’re going to focus on hunting crouches.”

As if forgetting about what Tigerclaw had said, Ravenpaw perked up, attention firmly captured. Firepaw and Graypaw were also standing at the ready, tails flicking in their excitement. Firepaw thought back to his dreams of catching mice, and the failed catch he had before meeting Graypaw. This was his chance to learn how to catch one for real; not just for himself, but for his Clan. 

Whitestorm nodded to the three of them. “Let’s see your best stalking crouches.”

Determined, Firepaw got into position, trying to remember what felt right the last time he tried as he crouched low to the forest floor. 

“Put your weight on your haunches!” Whitestorm called. “This will help keep your footsteps light as you stalk your prey.” Firepaw immediately corrected himself and saw Graypaw do the same. “Very nice Graypaw. You’re getting it.” Graypaw flashed him a cocky smile that he scoffed at.

“Keep your bottom down, Ravenpaw,” Tigerclaw growled. “The prey will see your tail coming a tree-length away. It’s like you’ve learned nothing in these two moons I’ve been training you.” His gaze moved to Firepaw as Ravenpaw cowered under the scrutiny. “And  _ you _ ; do you think you’re going to catch  _ anything _ with that stance? It’s obvious you’ve never hunted a thing in your soft kittypet life.”

“Hey,” Brindleface hissed, surprising most in the clearing. “You can teach your apprentice however you want, Tigerclaw, but leave my apprentice alone. Especially with unnecessary comments like that.” 

Tigerclaw blinked at her, then looked away, grumbling to himself while watching Ravenpaw adjust himself.

She nodded, then turned to Firepaw, eyes softening. “It’s true that your stance is a little lacking, but this is your first training session. No one’s expecting you to be perfect. Now, the three of you, try to take a few steps forward. Try to keep your pawsteps as light as possible.”

Shaking off the harsh criticism, Firepaw did as he was told, careful to keep in mind both Brindleface and Whitestorm’s advice.

“Slow your pace down a little bit, Firepaw,” Brindleface cautioned. “The slower you go, the less likely the prey is to hear or see you coming.”

“Balance your weight a bit more,” Whitestorm was saying to Graypaw, coming forward to nudge him into the right place. “There you go. Good.”

“Ravenpaw! What did I say about keeping low!”

Until the sun was high in the sky, they practiced their stalking crouches. Firepaw’s hind legs were beginning to ache from crouching for so long, and the excitement of learning to hunt had long since vanished with the repetition of practice. And even though he knew it was to help him get better at stalking, it still dampened his mood.

Finally, the mentors all exchanged a look. “Well, that’s enough practice for now,” Whitestorm said, smiling at them. “Now, why don’t we see how much you’ve improved by trying these crouches out for real?”

Immediately, the three of them were standing at attention. 

“Ravenpaw, go over by the Owl Tree and see if you can actually catch something,” Tigerclaw ordered, nodding towards WindClan territory. “Graypaw, you head over past that big bramble bush. And Firepaw…” He gave him a hard stare down. “There’s a dried up stream past that rise. I expect you not to get too lost. Bring back whatever you catch. We’ll be waiting here ”

Firepaw’s ears twitched at the jeer, but went where he was ordered to go nonetheless. Sure enough, as he headed towards where he knew RiverClan territory to be, he came across a part of the river that, when it rained, would collect the water and funnel it into the river, but now had dried up, creating a nice sandy bed. Almost as soon as he arrived, he could smell the fresh scent of prey, and his mouth watered. 

Quick movement flashed across the stream bed. Firepaw zoned in on it to find a small mouse by the edge, close enough that he wouldn’t even have to move forward in his stalking crouch. Slowly and carefully, he settled down to the grassy ground, never taking his eyes off of his prize. It took a moment for him to fit right into the crouch he had been practicing all day, but the mouse was still there when he finished. He figured the breeze must have been blowing towards him so much that no trace of his scent could reach and alert it at all. 

_ Perfect. _

But right as he was about to pounce, the mouse lifted its head up to look around. It quickly caught sight of Firepaw and began to race away. However, sensing that it would do this, Firepaw was ready to chase after it. As it ran for a nearby tree, Firepaw leaped, batting it away from its escape route and disorientating it at the same time. As it was trying to get its wits back about it, he pinned it down and snapped the neck, relishing in the stillness of it.

It was a few moments after it died that he realized he had actually caught a mouse.  _ My first kill, _ he thought happily,  _ and my first step towards becoming a full warrior! _ As he picked the mouse up and brought it back to the Sandy Hollow, he knew for certain that he had made the right choice about joining; this solidified it. 

He entered the clearing with his head held high, mouse firmly in his mouth, and reveled in Tigerclaw’s expression when the warriors turned to greet him. Brindleface shot Tigerclaw a smirk before padding over to Firepaw. “You caught your first prey!” she purred. “And it’s a nicely sized mouse. Congratulations, Firepaw. You’re officially part of ThunderClan now.”

Firepaw beamed at her, glowing in the praise. 

A moment later, Graypaw emerged from the bramble bush with an empty mouth. “I almost caught a squirrel,” he said dejectedly, “but it was too fast. I got a grip on its tail, but it was so furry that I only managed to catch some of its furs.” He spit on the ground. “I think I’ll be tasting squirrel fur for the next moon…”

Whitestorm chuckled. “But you did grab it, even if it was just the tail. A little improvement, and you’ll be catching as many squirrels as you can carry.”

Graypaw hummed, and looked to Firepaw. “Hey! You caught a mouse?!” He bounded over, and Firepaw gently dropped his catch so he could respond. 

“Yup. It was about to run, but I was quick to pounce on it,” Firepaw said, puffing out his chest. 

“That’s amazing!” Graypaw gushed, and Firepaw felt like he was sitting on a cloud under the warm sun.

“Ravenpaw is taking a while…” Tigerclaw growled, ignoring the two apprentices and glaring in the direction of the Owl Tree. 

Graypaw bent his head towards Firepaw to whisper, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Tigerclaw sent Ravenpaw that way knowing he probably wouldn’t catch anything.”

Firepaw frowned, remembering what Graypaw had said about the area around the tree yesterday, and once again was grateful the gruff warrior wasn’t his mentor.

They waited a few moments in silence save for Tigerclaw’s occasional growl. Then, a bush rustled as Ravenpaw finally emerged from his hunt, a plump rabbit firmly in his grasp.

Graypaw gasped as he and Firepaw raced towards Ravenpaw. “You caught that at the Owl Tree?!” he asked, astounded. “That’s the biggest rabbit I’ve ever seen!”

Bashful, Ravenpaw put the rabbit down and shook his head. “It’s nothing too special. It was just by its hole and I snuck up on it so it didn’t see me until it was too late.”

“Amazing job, Ravenpaw,” Whitestorm purred. Brindleface nodded alongside him. Even Tigerclaw had no negative comment to give, only sparing a curt nod. Graypaw bumped into his side, and Firepaw gave him a big smile that the small apprentice hesitantly returned.

“Well, now that we’ve finished training,” Brindleface said, getting up on her paws, “it’s about time to head back to camp. Firepaw, since that’s your first kill, you’ll be allowed to eat it yourself tonight. But always remember that from here on out, the Clan is fed first before you - an apprentice - take your first bite. Understood?”

“Yes!” Firepaw nodded, satisfaction creeping into his paws. Proudly, he grabbed his mouse - small in comparison to Ravenpaw’s fat rabbit, but he wasn’t discouraged by that - and followed his mentor back towards camp. 

As they all padded through the gorse tunnel, Firepaw heard someone call to them. He looked towards the nursery to see Rosetail waving them over with her dark red tail. After looking to Brindleface to make sure he was allowed to do as he pleased and receiving the permissive nod, he and Graypaw bounded over while Ravenpaw wondered off to eat.

“Oh,” she mewed, eyeing Firepaw’s catch that still lay in his jaws, “did you get that all by yourself?”

Firepaw nodded and placed it gently on the ground. “It’s my first catch,” he mewed.

“I almost had a squirrel…” Graypaw muttered beside him, but without any real bitterness. 

“Well, that’s great to hear,” Rosetail purred. She glanced back to the nursery entrance before looking at the two of them with twinkling pale green eyes. “Frostfur and her kits are wide awake, if you wanted to see them.”

“Really?” Graypaw exclaimed.

“Yes, but only one at a time. Speckletail and Swiftkit are resting in there, and it’ll be too crowded with the both of you in there.”

“I call going in first!” Graypaw said, already going inside the nursery.

Rosetail chuckled, shaking her head a bit. “He’s always been full of energy, that one…” she murmured to herself.

Firepaw sat next to his mouse and waited. He found that he was actually fairly excited to see the new kits of the Clan. They had been born around the time he arrived, and so were only a few days old. He thought about them growing up and becoming apprentices just like he was and smiled. 

Heartbeats passed and finally Graypaw exited the nursery with a happy glow about him. “Oh, they’re so cute!” he mewed. “Firepaw, you just  _ have _ to see them!”

“All right, but my mouse still better be here when I get back,” he said before looking to Rosetail. When she nodded, he slowly crept through the entrance of the thick bramble bush.

The inside of the nursery was far more inviting that the outside made it look. Moss covered the entire floor, along with the sides so that the prickly thorns wouldn’t injure a kit or queen. In one corner lay the pale golden tabby molly he had seen two days before that he assumed to be Speckletail. She blinked a greeting at him as he walked by, and he dipped his head to her in response. At her belly lay Swiftkit, fast asleep in his afternoon nap. In the other corner was a black molly whose fur stuck out in many directions, as if it had been dunked in water and frozen over. Her amber eyes glowed at him in the shadowed area, four tiny kits squirming at her belly.

“You must be Firepaw, the new apprentice,” she whispered to him. “I’m Frostfur. Welcome to ThunderClan.”

“Thank you,” he whispered back before looking at the little kits. Two were golden tabby toms, one darker than the other and each sharing the spiky fur of their mother. The other two were mollies, one being a dark gray and the other black with golden patches. None of them had opened their eyes yet. Firepaw smiled. Graypaw was right; they were very cute.

“I hear my sister is your mentor,” Frostfur said, nudging one of the tabbies closer to her. “I hope she’s been doing well in teaching you so far.”

He looked up at her in surprise. “Brindleface is your sister?”

“Yes,” she purred. “You’re her first apprentice, so I image she’s a bit nervous.”

“Well, so far, she’s been very kind and helpful. I caught my first prey today, and it was thanks to her guidance with my stalking stance.”

Frostfur smiled. “That’s wonderful to hear.”

He nodded, looking back to the kits. “Have… you named them yet?” he asked hesitantly, not sure if he was overstepping or not by asking.

Instead of snapping at him, Frostfur just nodded. “Yes, Lionheart and I came to agreement on all their names.” She pointed with her tail to the darker of the tabbies. “This one is Brackenkit, and his brother is Thornkit.” Her tail moved to the dark gray molly. “Her name is Cinderkit, and her sister is Brightkit.”

“... Those are good names,” he said for lack of anything else to say.

She chuckled, looking down fondly at her kits. “Yes, they are…”

“Well,” he said after a moment, “I should let you rest. Thank you for letting me see them.”

“You're welcome. Enjoy your first catch.” 

He smiled brightly at her, then turned to leave. On his way out, he caught Speckletail’s eye. The queen nodded at him, curling her tail around the still sleeping Swiftkit. He nodded back, a question forming in his head, then slipped back out into the main clearing.

Graypaw was waiting for him, guarding over Firepaw’s mouse like it was kit in danger of getting stolen. When he saw Firepaw, he happily nudged the mouse back to him. “They were cute, weren’t they?” 

“They sure were,” he replied. “Hey, is Speckletail Swiftkit’s mother?”

“Not by blood,” Graypaw said. “Swiftkit was left by his blood mother just outside of camp. A patrol found him - barely a moon old - and brought him to the caretakers. Speckletail bonded very well with him, so she took the role of his mother. Rosetail was the one to do that for me when my blood mother died.”

“His blood mother just… left him?” Firepaw asked, horrified by the mere thought.

“Yeah, it’s something that happens sometimes. Loners will hear about ThunderClan or the other Clans and how well we do together, and if they can’t take care of their kits anymore, they’ll drop them off in our territory for us to find.” He glanced around the clearing and jerked his head towards Ravenpaw by the apprentice’s den. “Ravenpaw was also a kit who was dropped off. He was sickly, apparently, so his blood mother probably didn’t want to see him die. Luckily, Spottedleaf healed him right up, and now he’s a ThunderClan apprentice, just like us.”

Firepaw hummed. He remembered the arguments against allowing him into the Clan, about how he was too old and used to the life of a pet to become a part of ThunderClan. But now he was catching real prey and integrating himself into Clan life, proving those cats wrong. The thought of Tigerclaw and his group of bad attitude cats scowling at his process had him smiling. 

“Come on,” Graypaw said, interrupting his thoughts, “let’s go eat. Sandpaw told me all the elders and queens have been fed, so it’s our turn to dig in. Let me go get something and I’ll join you by the stump.”

“You don’t have to get anything,” he was quick to say. “I’m not hungry enough to eat this whole mouse. I’ll share with you.”

Graypaw raised a brow. “Are you sure? That’s your first catch!”

“Yeah, and I want to share it with my friend.” Smiling, he trotted off to the tree stump, pushing Graypaw along and effectively ending the argument. Contentment filled his bones.  _ I can’t wait to see Princess and Smudge’s faces when they hear about all of this, _ he thought, then almost stopped in his tracks when he processed it.  _ Ah, that’s right… I can’t visit them for a long time. _

The thought gave him a sullen mood, and Graypaw was quick to catch it. “Hey, what’s up? You suddenly regretting your choice to let me in on your mouse?”

Firepaw sighed. “No, I was just thinking of Princess - my sister - and this… other cat I talked to sometimes back in the houses. I’m loving it here, but I know they’re wondering about me. Princess probably hasn’t slept since I left. Even if it’s just for a night, I want to let them know I’m more than just fine here.”

They were quiet as they reached the stump. Then, Graypaw pulled him behind the apprentice’s den into the shadows were no one would see or hear them. “Okay, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this,” he started. “Honestly,  _ I _ shouldn’t even know about it, so this stays between you and me, all right?”

Startled, Firepaw nodded slowly. 

“Good. Now, what would you say if I told you that you could go see your sister tonight without anyone else noticing?”

“What? How?”

Graypaw hushed him, even though he wasn’t speaking that loud anyway. “There’s a secret entrance behind the warrior’s den. It’s very small; only one warrior can squeeze through at a time, and just barely. The warriors know about it for emergency purposes, but apprentices and kits aren’t supposed to find it, because it can be dangerous for anyone younger than a warrior to go out of camp alone, especially a kit.” He smirked. “ _ But _ , I managed to find it one day when I was a kit. I didn’t go out and get myself killed, but I did win lots of hide and seek games with Ravenpaw.”

“But if the warriors know about it, then how can we use it without getting caught?”

“It’s not guarded like the main entrance,” he explained, “and there’s only one cat guarding that entrance anyway. If we’re really sneaky, then we can slip out of camp and come back before they know we’re gone.”

Firepaw thought about it. On one paw, there was the risk of getting caught. If someone saw him sneaking out, or worse, caught him coming back with the scent of his sister on him, he’d be accused of wanting to go back to his pet life. They may even kick him out of the Clan, just when he was beginning to feel like he was fitting in nicely. But on the other paw, he would get to see Princess again, and soothe her worries about him in his new life. And he missed her, even though it had only been a couple of days since they last saw each other; living with someone from the moment you were born would do that to you.

And so, the choice was obvious to him. 

“Okay, let’s do it.”


	8. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bleh, I was so busy yesterday that by the time I had time to edit, I was way too tired, but hey, it's all done now ! 
> 
> NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow, so another reminder that updates may become more spread out, but I'll definitely make the promise to have them up by the deadlines I give !
> 
> Deadline for chapter 7 is Sunday. Enjoy ~

It was dark when Graypaw nudged Firepaw awake later that night. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he glanced around the apprentice’s den to find Dustpaw, Sandpaw, and Ravenpaw all fast asleep, and judging from the quiet of the camp, so was everyone else.

Graypaw bent down to his ear to whisper, “Tigerclaw is the guard tonight, so we have to be extra careful not to get caught, all right?”

Anxiety nipped at his paws when Tigerclaw’s name was spoken, but he nodded all the same. His mind was set; there was no going back.

Slowly and carefully, the two of them stood and exited the apprentice’s den from the back, entering the shadowy edge of the clearing. Graypaw peeked his head out from behind the ferns to see where Tigerclaw was looking. After a few moments, his tail gestured that they were clear, and they quietly turned around and scurried from the back of the ferns to the thick bramble bush of the nursery, making sure to stick as close to the shadows of the outer camp wall as possible. Firepaw sighed in relief when no call to them was made, but he didn’t relax just yet; they still had one more den to get to.

This time it was Firepaw’s turn to give the signal. With a gulp, he crept out until the dark mass of Tigerclaw came into view, sitting tall and watchful next to the gorse entrance. This one was harder because they were more directly in the senior warrior’s field of vision, and with the moon still bright from the fullness it had a couple nights ago, their chances of getting caught were very, very high.

But he couldn’t think about the odds at the moment. Instead, he took a steadying breath and focused on Tigerclaw, who was glancing about the empty clearing. He waited for the warrior to turn his head fully to the side, or close his eyes briefly for a quick rest, but Tigerclaw kept staring straight ahead where they wanted to go.

Then, just as Firepaw’s feets were beginning to itch with nervous energy, his patience was rewarded by a cloud covering the moon and Tigerclaw looking up to see it happen. Quick as a mouse, he gave the signal to Graypaw before dashing across the gap between the nursery and warrior’s den, diving behind the thinner bush. He forced himself to look back at Tigerclaw, and his heart stuttered when he saw his yellow gaze narrowed towards the warrior’s den. He gestured for Graypaw to be as still as possible as he waited to see if they had been found out. But, after a brief moment, Tigerclaw simply blinked and returned to the staring at the spot he had been previously.

He felt like doing a victory yowl, but Graypaw quickly covered his mouth with his giant fluffy tail and pointed to the warrior’s den where he could hear many cats quietly sleeping. Nodding, Firepaw kept his glee within.

Firepaw watched as Graypaw padded to the thick gorse bushes that lined the outer rim of the camp and reached a paw out. As soon as his paw breached the bush, the secret pathway made itself visible to Firepaw, who gasped quietly at the sudden appearance. He was baffled to think of Graypaw accidentally coming across it when it was so well hidden.

Graypaw nodded back to him and squeezed through the small opening, his thick fur catching on the sharp branches. After another quick glance behind him, Firepaw followed, wincing when it was tighter than he thought it was going to be. But, soon enough, he broke through and the fresh scent of the night air hitting his nose felt exactly like victory. He shared an elated smile with Graypaw before they quickly dashed away from the camp and towards his former house.

“I can’t believe that worked!” Graypaw exclaimed as soon as they were far away enough from camp. “And with Tigerclaw as the guard, too!”

“Yeah,” Firepaw breathed, bathing in the relief, “but we still have to be careful going back.”

“I know, I know, but before that, you need to introduce me to your sister. But I swear, if she doesn’t end up as amazing as you make her out to be, I’ll shove moss down your throat for getting my hopes up.”

They laughed loudly and freely, picking up the pace as they got closer. Though it wasn’t that late, a part of Firepaw was worried that Princess would retire early, especially now that he wasn’t there to keep her waiting. And another, smaller part of him thought that maybe she was happier with him out of her life and would be disappointed to see him again. But then he firmly shook his head. _Princess isn’t like that at all. She’ll be ecstatic when we arrive, I’m sure of it._

Firepaw led the way to his old house, remembering the route he had taken with Whitestorm and Lionheart. It wasn’t long before the trees began to thin and the familiar scent of housefolk reached his nose. They stopped by the treeline before the fence he used to sit on all the time, gazing out at the forest and wondering. Another small sense of awe overcame him as he realized just how far he had come in only a few days.

With a small deep breath, he took a step out and looked up. Sure enough, a pale ginger tabby sat perched on the fence, her amber eyes glowing in their intensity as she watched the forest. Purposefully, he snapped a twig under his paw, and her gaze was immediately drawn down to him. He watched with a smile as her whole figure brightened.

“Rusty!” she cried, leaping down to the long grass so that she could nuzzle his cheek. “I didn’t know if you were coming back or not! But I kept waiting, just in case, and here you are! Oh, I’ve missed you not being around.”

He chuckled and returned the nuzzle. “I missed you, too, Princess,” he mewed.

“Is that Ro - ” a voice shouted from behind the neighboring fence before it cut itself off. Firepaw looked up to see Smudge scraping his way up in all his plump glory. “I, uh, mean… is that Rusty...?”

Firepaw blinked in surprise at the way he used the correct (or, _formally_ correct) name for him without anyone else’s insistence. He watched as Smudge carefully hopped into the grass beside Princess. “Uhm, yeah, it’s me.” He said, a bit baffled at just how relieved Smudge seemed to be at seeing him again. “But it’s not Rusty anymore. My name is Firepaw now.”

“Fire - paw…” Smudge sounded out with a small nod, and Firepaw was even more baffled at how easily he seemed to accept it.

Princess smiled at him. “I like it. It suits you, somehow.”

“Look,” Smudge said quietly, head lowering itself in apology. “I’m… sorry for the way I was acting towards you before you left. I didn’t understand and thought the whole… name and pronoun thing wasn’t that big of a deal, but when you left without saying anything, I realized how much of a jerk I’d been.” Princess gave him a small kick to the leg. “Ow - and Princess helped me realize it, too. So, I’m sorry, and I’ll try to make more of an effort.”

Firepaw laughed awkwardly. “Well, as long as you don’t keep doing it, then it’s fine with me. Thank you, though.” A little desperate to change the subject, he glanced back to the forest. “I, ah, actually brought someone with me. He helped me sneak out to meet you.” He gestured with his tail and a heartbeat later, Graypaw slowly emerged from the bush.

As soon as he appeared, Smudge squeaked in fright, turning to scramble back up his fence, but Princess stopped him by batting his ears. “Hey,” she hissed, “making an effort also applies to his new friends!”

Smudge swallowed. “... Sorry,” he muttered, bending his head to lick his chest fur, avoiding eye contact.

Graypaw snorted and leaned over to Firepaw. “I’m liking your sister already,” he whispered with a smirk.

Firepaw rolled his eyes. “Anyway, this is Graypaw. He’s the tom our age I talked about, Princess. He’s been helping me get settled in ThunderClan and just has been an all around great friend to me...” He paused. “Sometimes, that is.” He received a heavily exaggerated affronted look and a small kick to the leg, which he returned with a laugh. “Graypaw, this is my sister, Princess, and my former neighbor, Smudge.”

Although his anxiety was still clearly showing in his on end fur, Smudge managed to give Graypaw a small greeting that was politely returned. Firepaw got the sense that neither really liked the other, but he hoped the ice between them would soon thaw and not keep the meeting as tense.

Princess was watching Firepaw and Graypaw interact and smiled when they teased each other. “Well, it’s nice to see that he’s made such a good friend.” She dipped her head briefly. “Like Firepaw said, I’m Princess, his sister. We grew up together, so you can imagine my worry now that we’re apart.”

Graypaw gave her his own dip of the head, but deeper. “So I’ve heard. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve been wanting to each time Firepaw brings you up. You seem like the best sibling someone could have.”

Her eyes sparkled and she whispered to Firepaw, “I like him. You should bring him every time you come to visit.”

Firepaw smiled, but it quickly faded when he recalled how hard it was to get out of camp. Clearing his throat, he said, “uhm, about my next visit… I don’t know when it will next be. Getting out tonight was hard enough because some cats are questioning whether or not I’m loyal to the Clan.” Princess frowned and began to open her mouth, he quickly continued, “it’s only a few cats and they leave me alone for the most part, but if they know that I’m visiting with you, they’ll report me to the leader and can get me kicked out. And I’m absolutely loving it there, Princess. It really is the place for me, and I don’t want to have it taken away from me. But… I also don’t want to never see you again.”

“So…?” she asked quietly, “what are you going to do?”

He looked to Graypaw, who nodded at him. “Well, I won’t be able to visit you everyday. But, I can definitely try to keep that once per moon promise I made you the other day.” Cautiously, he looked back to Princess. “What do you say about that?”

Part of him expected her to be angry at him for not taking the risk of visiting more often, but instead, she just smiled sadly. “Like I said before, it’s more than I could ask for. As long as you do visit and I know that you’re doing fine out there, I’ll be happy.”

Firepaw returned the little smile and gave her another nuzzle. Maybe one day when he proved his loyalty once and for all to the cats of ThunderClan, he would be able to freely visit his sister whenever he wanted, but he would learn to be content with this for now.

 

 

*

 

The four of them chatted for a while after that (though Smudge didn’t contribute much to the conversation, only keeping a watchful eye on Graypaw the entire time) until they all got too tired to continue. Princess and Smudge retired to their houses, and Firepaw and Graypaw trotted back through the forest in comfortable silence after rolling in a patch of mint leaves to hide the scent of houses and pets.

Princess and Graypaw had gotten along very well. Firepaw had even heard her take Graypaw to the side just as they were leaving and ask him to keep an eye on Firepaw for her. Graypaw responded that they would look out for each other, and that was a promise. It made Firepaw very happy to see them automatically connect like they did, especially when he thought about Graypaw’s estranged relationship with his own sibling.

He was already looking forward to their next meeting.

Getting back into camp without being seen was still nerve wracking, but they managed to pull it off without a hitch. The days after that, everything returned to normal life. Firepaw and Graypaw trained in hunting more, and even started battle training. Ravenpaw would occasionally join them with Tigerclaw, but never for fighting. Apparently, Tigerclaw preferred to train his apprentice in battle tactics away from any distractions, including other apprentices. They could always tell whenever he had battle training, as he would return to camp exhausted and full of scratches, collapsing into his nest, too tired to even have dinner.

It was another reason why Firepaw was glad his mentor was Brindleface, who was kind and encouraging to him. It seemed she knew exactly how to guide him so that he would improve without feeling bad about getting something wrong. He knew Graypaw felt the same about Whitestorm as his mentor, but Whitestorm seldom gave out praise, especially as their training went on and Graypaw was expected to have already learned things he wasn’t quite getting. Even though Firepaw could tell it was frustrating him, Whitestorm’s cool and collected guiding always served to ground him.

As the days and nights passed, Firepaw noticed Graypaw was getting more and more excited about something. He would look up at the sky and stare intensely at the moon, as if by simply staring at it hard enough, he could get it to change phases quicker.

“Once the moon becomes half,” Graypaw said when he questioned him about it, “then we’ll go with Spottedleaf to the Moonstone and see if we’re healers or not.” And when he asked why he would want to be a healer, Graypaw seemed almost offended. “To be a healer is to be a member of StarClan while you’re alive! It’s one of the highest honors.”

Firepaw still didn’t get StarClan or why everyone in the Clan held it in such high regard, but out of respect, he didn’t say anything about it. So while very little part of him wanted to be a healer, he began looking forward to the trip every time he would hear about what the Moonstone looked like. The descriptions of it the elders would tell him had him breathless in anticipation. It wasn’t long before he, too, was staring eagerly at the moon as it slowly shrunk in brightness.

And finally, the night arrived. Whitestorm and Brindleface had given them a rundown on what to expect during their training that morning.

“Be ready to leave when Spottedleaf is ready. We mustn't slow her down because this journey is not just about you two; it’s an important event for all the healers of the Clans to receive visions from StarClan.” When the two of them nodded, Whitestorm continued, “before we go, Brindleface and I will eat travelling herbs to help us with the journey, but you two must not eat them. Eating before sharing tongues with StarClan is forbidden, so you must handle the hunger until after we leave Highstones. Stay respectful and quiet for the whole journey, and - most importantly - if you dream while sleeping next to the Moonstone, don’t keep it to yourself. Tell Spottedleaf immediately. Understood?”

They were allowed to eat for the last time before the journey at sunhigh after training, so they each grabbed their own plump mouse to try and fill themselves as much as they could. Then, they waited until nightfall.

Most cats were beginning to head into their dens when Firepaw and Graypaw saw Spottedleaf emerge from her dark cave. She glanced over at them sitting by the tree stump and gestured for them to come over, which they did at once, dipping their heads low to the ground in respectful greeting. Whitestorm and Brindleface joined them soon after.

“These are the travelling herbs,” Spottedleaf said to their mentors, nudging two leafs full of different kinds of plants and flowers to them. The warriors ate them without complaint, but Firepaw could see the way they both had trouble swallowing. Brindleface made a small noise of disgust that earned her a chuckle and sympathetic look from Spottedleaf. “Now,” she continued, looking to him and Graypaw, “are you two ready to see the Moonstone?”

They both nodded vigorously. Excitement was making it hard for Firepaw to sit still, but he didn’t want to seem too overeager.

“All right,” she purred. “Let’s go, then.” She led them towards the camp entrance where Firepaw saw Bluestar sitting regally.

“Spottedleaf,” she greeted with a low dip of her head, then simply nodded to the rest of the group. “Have safe travels. May StarClan share only good visions.”

“I’ll be reporting back as soon as I return,” Spottedleaf replied. She then smiled and added in a teasing voice, “don’t go getting into any border skirmishes while I’m away.”

Bluestar’s brow rose, but a small smile played at her lips. With another dip of her head, she turned and left towards the Highrock, disappearing through the lichen drapes. Spottedleaf chuckled to herself, then gestured for the group to follow her through the gorse. Firepaw and Graypaw exchanged a look, surprised at the small banter, but quickly followed after the healer, their mentors coming in behind them.

The forest was quiet that night as they walked through it. Spottedleaf looked over her shoulder at both Firepaw and Graypaw. “The journey to Highstones will take us through WindClan territory,” she said calmly. “Because of the halfmoon, we are granted passage as long as we do not hunt for ourselves. If we come across a WindClan patrol, do not worry about getting into a fight. Fighting us while knowing we are making our way to the Moonstone is a heavy crime. Now, after we pass through their territory, we will come across the Thunderpath. In order to get to Highstones, we must cross it.” She nodded to their mentors. “Whitestorm and Brindleface will help guide you across. Listen to them, as one mistake could get you seriously hurt or worse.”

Firepaw gulped, but nodded alongside Graypaw. Spottedleaf nodded back to them, and they continued the rest of the journey through the forest in silence. Soon they crossed the stream that fed into the river, and he noticed that the sensation of water on his feet wasn’t as unnatural as it had been when he first toured the territory. They padded along until the trees began to thin and the path to Fourtrees appeared beside them.

He looked to their left at the moor stretching to the horizon, then glanced at Brindleface. “Is your mate really from WindClan?” he asked her quietly, unsure if he was even supposed to be talking at all.

But Brindleface just smiled. “Oh? So you’ve heard. Yes, he’s a WindClan warrior. His name is Tornear, and he’s a gray tabby with beautiful blue eyes.” Her smile turned into a smirk. “Though I suppose you wouldn’t want to hear about that.”

Nose wrinkled at the lovey-dovey-ness in her voice, he nodded. “I was just wondering… Is it hard to have a mate live in a different Clan? You two must not see each other a lot.”

She hummed quietly, her smile fading just a bit. “Well, yes, it can be hard. We can only really see each other at Gatherings, and sometimes one of us might not even be picked to attend. And when there’s some tensions between our Clans, it can be awkward and a bit conflicting. But often times, we avoid fights so we won’t compromise our own Clan loyalty or damage our relationship by hurting a friend. And… we make it work, because seeing each other only once a moon is, after all, better than not seeing each other at all.”

Firepaw blinked, then huffed a laugh. “I… think I understand perfectly what you mean.”

Brindleface gave him a look, but didn’t question him about why, which he was thankful for.

A few moments later, Spottedleaf spoke up. “We’re about to arrive at Fourtrees. You two haven’t seen inside it yet, correct?” Firepaw and Graypaw shook their heads. “Well then, you’re about to. But remember to keep up as we cut through the clearing.”

Excitement rushed back into Firepaw like a strong breeze. He glanced at Graypaw and saw he, too, was trying desperately not to get ahead of himself and run past Spottedleaf to the four great oaks up ahead. They were really going to see Fourtrees before their first Gathering!

It wasn’t long before the group came upon the top of the hill leading down into the clearing below. Firepaw and Graypaw tried to look over the edge to see it, but they were still not close enough to have a good view. Spottedleaf looked over everyone, including Whitestorm and Brindleface, as they stopped on the rise, then nodded and padded over the top of the hill and down into the clearing, Firepaw and Graypaw close on her paws.

The first thing Firepaw noticed about it was the sheer amount of space. He had expected it to be perhaps a little bigger than ThunderClan camp, but instead, it seemed more than three times the size. The next thing he saw was a huge boulder that sat in the center of the clearing. Though tall and intimidating, the many edges on it made it clear that it was an easy thing to climb.

“That’s the Great Rock where all Clan leaders sit while sharing news at a Gathering,” Whitestorm said to them as they went closer. “You’ve heard the tale of SkyClan, right, Firepaw?” When he replied in the affirmative, Whitestorm continued, “then you know about  the vision of the fallen tree in the center of Fourtrees helping to connect the branches of each remaining tree. Many say that the Great Rock is the stump of that fifth tree and that by having the leaders sit on it together in peace is proof of how much SkyClan has changed us for the better.”

“Wow…” Firepaw whispered, looking up towards the sky. He could see what the Clans called Silverpelt stretched across the night sky between the many leaves that tangled together from each of the four oaks.

“Come on, now,” Brindleface murmured to him. He realized with some embarrassment that he had stopped walking to admire the view. She nudged him ahead of her with a smile that he returned.

Spottedleaf had already led Graypaw and Whitestorm across the clearing and was beginning to cross the other side, back out into the territories. He trotted quickly alongside Brindleface passed the Great Rock, and as he passed, he marveled at the towering height of it and the shadows cast around the edges by the dim moonlight.

When they had caught up to the rest of the group, who had paused to wait for them on the top of the rise, Spottedleaf said, “all right, now we’re about to enter WindClan territory. Stay close and quiet, and ignore any signs of prey.” When they all gave their confirming nods, she turned and went down the hill into the flat land of the moor.

Firepaw instantly felt exposed in the open air. He huddled close to Graypaw as they went swiftly across the grass, from small bush to small bush. As they went, it became hard for him to follow Spottedleaf’s command as the scent of rabbit came to his nose and his hunger starved belly growled in need. But he kept strong, instead focusing on the sky above and the half moon that was slowing rising in the sky.

All along their journey through the moor, the road they were destined to cross always sat to their right. Spottedleaf kept them far enough away that any wind from the cars or dirt that came with it wouldn’t hit them, and Firepaw was grateful; he was already overwhelmed by the scent of WindClan that smelled of grassy air and open soil. It was his first real whiff of it since becoming an apprentice.

To the relief of everyone, no WindClan patrol was spotted, and they made it through safely as promised. Spottedleaf stopped them once the small cliff side on the other end of the road that had been preventing them from crossing sooner tapered off into smooth ground, which was a few tree-lengths away from a farm. She gave them all a glance. “We’ll take a break here to catch our breath before crossing the Thunderpath. Is everyone all right so far?”

“I’m a bit hungry…” Graypaw mumbled, to which she chuckled.

“After we have visited StarClan, then we will come down to that small barn to hunt. _Then_ you’ll have your dinner.”

Graypaw looked like he was going to say something else, but instead decided against it and flopped down to his belly with a long sigh. Firepaw quickly followed suit; though he wouldn’t like to admit it, the trek through the moor had taken a lot of his energy with the fast pace and constant tension. So, he welcomed the break with open paws.

Spottedleaf settled into a sit beside them as Whitestorm and Brindleface quietly conversed a few tail-lengths away. She smiled warmly at Firepaw and Graypaw. “You may already know this, Graypaw, but when deputies become leaders, they travel to the Moonstone to gain their nine lives and their ’star name.”

Firepaw lifted his head. “Leaders have nine lives?”

“Oh, yes. They are granted them by StarClan as a sign of their blessing for the leader to lead their Clan. But it is a painful process, for you lose the life you go in with to gain the nine. This represents the dedication the leader must provide to their Clan, and a reminder that the Clan must come first above their own life. It is why leaders will always fight and not stay in camp while their warriors go into battle. And just because you have nine lives, does not mean you live longer than all the other cats. It can, if you’re old enough, but the point of those extra lives is so that the leader can literally give their all for their Clan.”

“Woah…” he mewed.

Graypaw laughed. “Yeah, definitely ‘woah’.” Firepaw glanced over to his friend to find him already looking energized, even though they had only been lying down for a few moments. His big front paws tapped the ground, seemingly not knowing he was doing it, though Spottedleaf certainly took note as her smile grew.

“Well,” she said, standing to her paws, “is that enough of a break for everyone?” Graypaw practically leaped to his feet at the ready, Firepaw following, while Whitestorm and Brindleface called their affirmatives. “Then we’ll cross. Graypaw, Firepaw, stay close to your mentor; they’ll help guide you across in the safest way possible.”

Anxiety began to nip at Firepaw’s feet again as he remembered just how fast the cars he had seen on his tour were going. And now it was night, how were they going to see them coming?

Brindleface padded up to his side and gently pressed her nose to his forehead. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to him, “monsters aren’t usually on the Thunderpath at night, and even if they are, they have big bright lights on them that make it very easy to know if they’re coming.”

Her words eased him, and he nodded, sighing out the negative feelings. “Thank you,” he said to her, and she gave him a friendly lick on the ear.

A tail-length away, he spotted Whitestorm giving Graypaw a few murmurs of encouragement, but Firepaw knew he wasn’t going to need much to pump him up for the crossing; Graypaw hardly even seemed to be listening, his gaze intent on the far side of the road with a special gleam in his eyes.

Spottedleaf shook out her soft coat before looking to them. “It’s almost moonhigh. We’ll likely be the last arriving because ThunderClan is the farthest from Highstones, but Mothermouth is just up the hill beyond the Thunderpath. If nothing happens, then we’ll make good time. Now, follow me.”

She led the way from the beginnings of the farm to the road in only a few short moments. Firepaw felt that it was shorter than it should have been, but he couldn’t tell if that was because of his nerves, or because he couldn’t see the sour smelling pavement that well in the dark. The road was quiet when they got to it, so Spottedleaf gestured to Whitestorm to go ahead. The big silver tom nodded and nudged Graypaw in front of him, stopping them both before setting foot on it. He looked from one way, to the other, and when there still was no lights in sight and no ominous rumbling, he gave Graypaw a small kick to the hind leg, and they were off. A heartbeat later, and they were both on the other side, safe and sound.

Spottedleaf waved her tail at them before turning to Brindleface and giving her the go ahead. Brindleface nodded and nudged Firepaw in the same way Whitestorm had to Graypaw. Although he was nervous about taking the lead, he let her get behind him and wait until she was sure they were in the clear.

Just as Brindleface was checking the way to their right, Firepaw felt a small rumbling in the ground that froze him to the spot. He glanced to their left and saw two, small bright lights in the distance, coming closer.

Then Brindleface gave him the kick.

“Wait,” he hissed out, eyes still locked on the car, “one’s coming from that way - ”

“There’s enough time if we move _now_ ,” she hissed back, giving him another kick, this time hard enough to have him stumble forward.

Fueled by the shock of being forced to move, Firepaw gained control of his feet and sprinted to where he could see Graypaw watching him with obvious worry. Not daring to look back at the car - whose lights were getting brighter each heartbeat - Firepaw kept his eyes locked on Graypaw, so much so that he barreled himself right into the bigger tom, knocking both of them off their paws. Just a heartbeat after his hit the ground, he felt the gust of wind that came with the passing car.

Graypaw groaned from underneath him, so he quickly got to his feet again. “Sorry, sorry,” he muttered, fur still standing on end.

“It’s fine, but maybe warn a tom before rushing into him like that,” Graypaw teased, standing up as well and giving himself a quick shake off of the soil.

“Are you all right?” Brindleface asked, hurrying over to give Firepaw a look over. “I’m sorry that I was a bit harsh. I should have waited until a safer time.”

“I’m fine,” he mewed, giving his chest fur a lick. “I was just… nervous. You’re my mentor, and I should have listened the first time instead of doubting.”

“Still…” she muttered, taking a step back once satisfied he hadn’t injured himself.

Spottedleaf trotted over to them very soon after. She gave Firepaw her own look over before nodding towards the slope ahead of them and a pawmade path that led to what looked to be the entrance to a cave, mountains rising high in the distance. “Mothermouth lies just over there. Hurry now; we don’t want to keep the other healers waiting for too much longer.”

Although part of him wanted to lie down on the ground and sleep until morning, he forced his tired paws to follow her to their final destination. As they walked, the path beneath them went from grass to soil to rock that grated against his paw pads, and began to slant, which made him even more tired.

But, finally, they made it. Spottedleaf’s tail lashed to gather their attention as they approached the dark cave entrance Firepaw assumed to be Mothermouth. Standing in front of it were the shadows of four other cats that stood as soon as they noticed their arrival.

“Graypaw, Firepaw,” Spottedleaf murmured to them, “welcome to Highstones, home of the Moonstone.”


	9. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a very good NaNoWriMo start today, so I had plenty of time to edit this chapter !
> 
> I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous about this chapter, mostly because it includes the first major change to the canon books, and I'm not sure how yall will feel about it ^^; So, let me know what you think after you've finished reading !
> 
> Deadline for chapter 8 is Monday ! Enjoy ~

“Ah, Spottedleaf,” came a voice from the four cats sitting by Mothermouth. The cat was a dark ginger tom with a short tail. “You’ve finally arrived.”

Another dark ginger cat - this time a molly with a flat face - raised a brow at them. “And you’ve brought two new ThunderClan apprentices?” Her bright orange eyes seemed to stare right through Firepaw, and he eventually had to turn his gaze away in discomfort.

“Yes, Yellowfang,” Spottedleaf said, giving a small dip of her head in greeting to the four cats there. She then turned to look at him and Graypaw. “These two were apprenticed shortly before the last Gathering. Their names are Graypaw and Firepaw.”

Graypaw dipped his head low, almost to the ground. Firepaw, a little caught off guard by how respectful Graypaw was being, blinked, but soon followed suit. “It’s an honor to be here,” Graypaw mewed.

“Oh, a polite one, is he,” the oldest cat - a mottled light brown tom with a pale belly - chuckled. “My name is Mudfur, and I am the healer of RiverClan. On my right is Barkface from WindClan” - the short-tailed tom smiled at them - “and this grouch to my left is Yellowfang, ShadowClan’s healer.”

Yellowfang glared at Mudfur, but didn’t respond to his teasing, only clearing her throat. “Yes, I’m from ShadowClan, and this here is my former apprentice, Runningnose, also ShadowClan’s healer.”

Runningnose - the gray and white tom with a sniffle - nodded briefly, but had his eyes stuck on Firepaw. Yellowfang squinted at her fellow healer, then gave him a bit of a kick to get him talking. “Ah, sorry, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Apologies for my former apprentice,” Yellowfang muttered. “He - like the rest of us - have heard about the new apprentice of ThunderClan who came from a kithood of kittypet life.” Her gaze slid to Firepaw. “We assume that’s you?”

Firepaw swallowed as all eyes came on him, and nodded meekly. 

Barkface hummed and Mudfur muttered something under his breath. Spottedleaf frowned at the exchange and stepped forward. “Yes, Firepaw may have been a kittypet a moon ago, but he has adjusted very nicely to Clan life. We do not doubt his loyalty, nor do I doubt StarClan will turn him away.”

Firepaw lifted his head a bit at that, looking to Graypaw for an explanation. His friend leaned over to whisper, “if you have a nightmare while sleeping by the Moonstone, that means StarClan has turned you away. It usually only happens to cats who’ve taken the leadership role by force. I’ve never actually heard about anyone being turned away and exiled as an apprentice, but caretakers like to use it a threat for bad kits.” He snorted. “Speckletail used to do that to me a lot.”

“Oh…” he murmured, his nervousness spiking again. What if he  _ did _ get turned away and exiled? Why hadn’t anyone told him that was a possibility beforehand? Then his mind started to come back to him rather than race ahead to the worst outcome.  _ Because it’s unheard of for an apprentice to be turned away, weren’t you listening to what Graypaw just said? _ he berated himself with a little shake of the head. 

“Of course,” Barkface murmured to Spottedleaf before giving the other healers a look. “We don’t wish to judge or pry.” He looked to Firepaw and gave a kind smile. “I’m sure he’s a fine apprentice and, if StarClan intends it, will be a fine warrior.”

Spottedleaf nodded her thanks. “I also bring with me their current mentors. Whitestorm is Graypaw’s mentor while Brindleface is Firepaw’s.”

The warriors stepped forward and bowed their heads low. “It’s a pleasure to be here and see you all again,” Whitestorm said.

“We will be waiting outside Mothermouth for our apprentices’ return, as intended,” Brindleface added on.

Mudfur looked to Whitestorm. “Oh, you’re Bluestar’s nephew, aren’t you?”

“Yes, indeed I am.”

“Well, when you return to ThunderClan, you can inform Bluestar that her kits are doing well. Stonefur and his mate Greenflower have had their kit, and named her Mosskit.” His face grew a sly smirk. “I won’t say anything presumptuous about Mistyfoot, but I can tell she’s got a bit of an eye on Whiteclaw.”

Whitestorm perked up. “Oh? Mosskit, huh…?” His voice grew distant, but then he shook his head and continued, “well, I’m sure Bluestar will appreciate hearing about how her kits are doing. Thank you.”

“This is not a Gathering to gossip at,” Yellowfang growled, looking to the sky. “We have business to attend to before the moon crosses its halfway point. If we are to speak with StarClan, the time to go is now.”

Everyone else took their own glance at the sky where the halfmoon was rapidly nearing moonhigh. “You are right, Yellowfang,” Spottedleaf said. “We shall enter Mothermouth now.” She glanced down to Firepaw and Graypaw. “It’ll be very dark in there once we first enter, so keep up and follow my scent. You’ll need to be very quiet inside, as to speak within the tunnels is disrespectful to StarClan. Once we enter the chamber that holds the Moonstone and it is lit with the moon’s light, you will follow our leads and touch your nose to it. Lie down with your nose still touching, close your eyes, and sleep. I will wake you when we are done. If either of you dream, tell me of it once we exit. Understand?”

Firepaw and Graypaw nodded firmly. 

“Good,” she murmured before turning to Whitestorm and Brindleface. “We won’t be gone long, but if you get too restless, you can go hunt for a snack if you so wish.”

Brindleface smiled. “We’re both a moon or two older than you, you know, not eager young warriors with too much energy to sit still,” she teased.

Firepaw tensed.  _ Is she allowed to talk to the healer like that? _ But Spottedleaf just chuckled. “You’re right. I suppose I’m just so eager for an apprentice that I’ve started telling everyone what to do now.” 

“Well, we’ll see if you can take one of our’s or not.”

“We’re leaving you behind if you don’t hurry up now!” Yellowfang called to them, to which Spottedleaf nonchalantly waved her tail. 

“All right, follow me, Graypaw, Firepaw,” she said, turning to trot to the other healers who were beginning to enter the pitch black cave.

Graypaw followed at once while Firepaw took a deep breath.  _ This is it, _ he thought. Brindleface bent down to lick his ear and nudge him forward. She didn’t have to say anything this time; he was ready.

As soon he caught up and entered Mothermouth, he understood immediately why Spottedleaf wanted them to keep up with her; he couldn’t even see beyond his own whiskers. The only sounds in the cave were those of quiet breathing and soft pawsteps, their claws clicking on the rock ground. He didn’t know how long they walked for, but it was enough for him to know that on his own, he would be hopelessly and terribly lost. 

But soon enough, he felt the small breeze of a bigger chamber, the slightly damp walls that at times pressed against him falling away. He realized after a moment that he could see, if only barely because of a hole in the ceiling. Spottedleaf and the other healers had stopped and were waiting. Firepaw tried to squint into the darkness to see if he could spot the Moonstone, but besides the shapes of the cats around him and the darkness of the continuing tunnel ahead, he could see nothing.

They waited in silence for a few, long heartbeats. Then, as if on some cue, a burst of light suddenly flooded the chambers, momentarily blinding Firepaw. Blinking many times to clear his vision, he looked to find the source of all the light.

It took everything he had not to let out a huge gasp _. _

Where he had previously thought the passageway continued sat a brilliant blue stone directly under the hole. It was huge, almost as tall as the cave itself, and something about it struck him speechless.

_ The Moonstone… _

He looked to Graypaw and found his friend in a similar state of disbelief, his eyes glued on the Moonstone like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And it probably was. 

Spottedleaf broke them from their mini trances with a small tap on the shoulders, gesturing to the Moonstone. The other healers had begun approaching it with Barkface already lying beside it. Slowly, Firepaw and Graypaw took their first steps towards the Moonstone; some part of Firepaw was afraid of walking too quickly, or doing something wrong that would lead to him being kicked out of the caverns before getting the chance to visit StarClan. As everyone approached the rock, even Firepaw, who was still unsure if he really believed StarClan sent visions to special cats, bowed before the weight of importance this stone emanated. 

Firepaw felt off balanced as he lowered himself to the ground in front of the Moonstone. A quick glance at Graypaw told him that he wasn’t the only one, as his friend’s actions were stiff and awkward. But he tried to shake those feelings off of him as he copied what he had seen Spottedleaf done, reaching out to touch his nose to the bright stone.

It was cold to the touch. He had to hide a wince and force himself to keep touching it as he set his head down onto his paws. A part of him had thought he would have a hard time going to sleep with all of his nerves, but he found that as he settled, exhaustion began to set into his bones, causing his eyes to slide close easily.

Before he knew it, he was out cold.

 

*

 

A nudge to his side woke him. He blinked the edges of sleep from his eyes as he glanced around his surroundings, remembering where he was and what he was doing.

The Moonstone’s light had faded, leaving the chamber in the same darkness it had been. All around him he could hear and see the figures of cats stretching and standing from their own naps. Above him stood Spottedleaf, her amber eyes - which, he noticed, now had a hard edge to them - glowing in the very dim lighting.

He was about to ask if they were leaving, but shut his mouth closed at the last moment. They still weren’t allowed to talk yet. Spottedleaf must have seen his almost blunder, for she nodded and nudged him to his feet, leading him back the way they came.

As they walked, Firepaw reflected on his sleep. It had been so easy sleep there, like he was back in the comfort of his own nest, despite how uncomfortably cool and hard the ground and Moonstone were. Had he dreamt? Thinking hard, he failed to recall anything after he closed his eyes. A faint bite of disappointment hit him, but overall, he hadn’t expected that he’d actually become a healer apprentice. Even as he thought about it, he probably wouldn’t have even liked it; he had no interest in herbs, nor did he completely believe in StarClan. Any dream he would have had, he might have chalked it up to just that; a dream.

The journey out of the caves seemed shorter than going in, and once they were out, Firepaw had to blink several times to adjust back to the usual night lighting. Whitestorm and Brindleface were still waiting for them outside, just as they had said, but when they went to greet them, the warriors stopped in their tracks.

It was then that Firepaw finally noticed the unusual amount of tension permeating in the air. He’d been so focused on him not having any dreams that it had gone over his head, but now, he could practically taste the nervous energy between everyone who had just exited. Confused, he glanced to Graypaw, wondering if he knew anything, but was shocked to find that his friend looked caught between a sort of awe and horror. 

“Graypaw,” Spottedleaf murmured to break the silence, “what did you dream?”

“I…” he whispered, trailing off as he gathered his thoughts. “I… dreamed of a cat. He was… he had this really spiky pelt. And these shadows came, and they swallowed up the cat. But they didn’t stop after him, they just… kept swallowing things. They swallowed the whole marsh, then tried to take Highstones. But the light of the Moonstone drove it back. In anger, the shadows went and… and swallowed the moor instead. They were about to swallow Fourtrees when I woke up…”

Firepaw held back his gasp.  _ Graypaw had a dream? _ he thought.  _ Does that mean…? _ He glanced around the group to see the expressions of the other cats. Mudfur was by far the least worried looking cat, followed by Barkface, who seemed to be in deep thought. Spottedleaf still had that hard look in her eyes, but Firepaw could see the mute joy she felt about Graypaw. Runningnose was frozen to his spot, eyes fixed on his former mentor.

Yellowfang… Yellowfang was standing as stiff as a tree, her fur spiking and eyes blazing with emotions that were too tangled up for Firepaw to parse out. 

Graypaw suddenly began to shake. “Was… was that a nightmare? Does that mean I have to be exiled?” 

“No, no,” Spottedleaf quickly reassured. “A nightmare by the Moonstone must be about yourself to be considered turned away from StarClan. What you saw was just a vision; a… bad one, yes, but still just a vision. We will discuss what you saw in more detail once we return back to camp, but for now, congratulations are in order.” A small smile crept onto her face. “Graypaw, you’re a healer apprentice now.”

His yellow eyes widened until they were practically the size of a fullmoon as the other healers (all besides Yellowfang, who still looked too out of it to notice what was happening) murmured their own congratulations to him. Whitestorm padded up to his now former apprentice and touched Graypaw’s nose with his own, similar to what Brindleface had done to Firepaw when she became his mentor. “I would have been proud to mentor you fully, but I now know StarClan has bigger plans for you. Congratulations, Graypaw.”

Clearly unable to speak, Graypaw swallowed and nodded in what Firepaw supposed was a thank you gesture. Whitestorm smiled and nodded back before stepping away, allowing Spottedleaf to take his place. “Graypaw,” she began, “do you accept the position StarClan has given you, and understand your new duty to your Clan?”

He cleared his throat. “I do,” he said clearly, his voice only slightly cracking on the end. Firepaw could see him finally realizing that it was actually happening, his usual joy and excitement coming back in full force to make his eyes sparkle.

“Then I accept StarClan’s choice for my apprentice.” Spottedleaf bent her head to touch her nose to his, sealing the ceremony. Once they pulled away, she said with a smile, “we’ll begin training on healing tomorrow after you’ve finishing resting. I’ll only give you this one warning; I won’t go easy on you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Graypaw responded back easily, his feet shifting constantly with all the energy he had. 

Firepaw blinked. Did this mean they wouldn’t get to train together anymore?  _ Of course _ , his mind hissed at himself.  _ He’s not training to hunt or fight anymore; he’s going to be trained in how to heal cats and interpret visions from StarClan. Don’t be selfish and look at how happy he is.  _ Giving himself a mental shake, he walked up to Graypaw’s side and gave his flank a nudge. “Hey, congrats.”

Graypaw smiled at him, big and bright. “Thanks. Sorry we won’t become warriors together anymore.”

He shook his head. “No, don’t think of it like that. You’re a healer apprentice! Based on how often I’ve seen you look longingly at the healer’s den, I bet you’re thrilled.”

Graypaw only smirked at that, which said everything Firepaw needed to know. 

“It’s very great that another healer has entered our ranks,” Yellowfang suddenly rasped, interrupting the friendly conversations all around, “but Runningnose and I must be getting back to ShadowClan immediately. We won’t be stopping with you at the barn, so this is farewell until we see each other next.”

The other healers looked to her, then after a moment, they all nodded wordlessly. “Safe travels,” Mudfur murmured to her as she stalked past them and back down the slope towards the road. Runningnose paused to dip his head in thanks before hurrying to catch up with Yellowfang’s relentless pace. 

Firepaw watched them go in confusion. What was the hurry for? Did it have something to do with Graypaw’s vision? He looked to his friend for an answer, but Graypaw just gave him a nervous smile and shook his head; looks like he wasn’t going to get any answers for that.

Spottedleaf glanced at the sky. The halfmoon was far past moonhigh, slowly sinking down to the horizon with every moment. “We should start heading out soon as well. Bluestar will want to know about our new healer apprentice as soon as possible, after all.”

“Agreed,” Whitestorm said. “And I’m sure the young ones are starving. A stop at the barn will do them good for the journey back.”

She nodded, then turned to the remaining healers. “Will either of you be joining us there?”

Barkface gave her an apologetic smile. “I, unfortunately, must head back quickly. There is much I need to discuss with Tallstar.”

“Of course,” she said. “Mudfur?”

“Sure, I’ll have a bite. It’ll be nice seeing Barley again as well.”

“Then I’ll part with you all now and let you go on your way,” Barkface said, standing and stretching his limbs. “Very good evening to you all, and congratulations again, Graypaw. I look forward to seeing you back here next halfmoon.”

Graypaw stiffened his posture at the attention. “A-as do I,” he stuttered out with a dip to his head. 

Barkface chuckled before he turned and padded down the path by himself.

Spottedleaf watched him go for a few heartbeats, then signaled for the rest of them to leave as well. Mudfur huffed as he walked past her to take the lead. “You forget your age, young one,” he grunted, but his tone suggested he wasn’t offended. Spottedleaf ducked her head as she mumbled an apology, to which he grumbled something else to her, causing her to chuckle.

Graypaw followed closely behind Spottedleaf, eventually getting into a conversation with her as they walked, while Whitestorm walked on his own behind them. Firepaw followed at a slightly slower pace, Brindleface matching him. “You know,” she murmured to him, “I was relieved to find out it wasn’t you who had become the healer apprentice. I would have been sad to give you up.”

Firepaw smiled. “To be honest, I’m kind of relieved, too. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed being a healer.” His smile faded a bit as he realized what he confessed. “Is… that strange?”

“To not want to be a healer? Not at all. Though healers are very respected, and many kits look up to them, there are some who do not want that kind of life, just like there are some who do not wish to be a warrior. If you did not want to be given a vision, then I’m sure StarClan knew that, and that’s why you weren’t chosen.” She briefly pressed her flank to his side. “So, no, you’re not strange at all to think that.”

“… Thank you, Brindleface,” he murmured. “And, just between the two of us, I would have been sad to not have you as a mentor anymore, too.”

She smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back. Though he might not be able to hang out with Graypaw as often anymore, he still had Brindleface’s company, and that was enough for him.

Crossing the road was uneventful the second time around as no cars were coming at them, which had Firepaw breathing his thanks under his breath; he was too tired and hungry to properly concentrate on knowing when to go with a car coming for him. After that, it was smooth walking towards the small barn that lay on the edge of WindClan territory. Mudfur stopped them a tree-length from the dark, open entrance and called out, “Barely? Are you awake?”

A moment or two later came the sound of movement from inside, followed by a black and white head peeking out from around the corner. Upon seeing all of them, the tom perked up and exited fully, approaching Mudfur with a friendly purr. “Mudfur, welcome! I almost forgot it was the night of the halfmoon. If you had arrived any later, I’d be fast asleep!” He glanced around, his gaze landing on Spottedleaf. “Ah, Spottedleaf! You came along this time. Glad to see you again. And…” He gave a small chuckle. “I would personally welcome the rest of you all, but unfortunately, I don’t know your names.”

Spottedleaf took a step forward. “It’s nice to see you, Barley,” she said with a smile. “And I’m happy to introduce you to my new apprentice, Graypaw.”

“New apprentice!” Barley exclaimed. “That’s exciting! So, when you’re able to stop by, he’ll be with you?” When she nodded, he smiled to Graypaw. “Well then, I better remember your name. Graypaw, was it? It’s nice to meet you.”

Graypaw blinked and nodded, but seemed too taken aback by this cat’s personality to verbally respond.

“As for the others, this is Firepaw, his mentor Brindleface, and Whitestorm.”

Barley, noticeably less enthused, turned to them. “Yes, welcome as well, you three!”

Firepaw frowned when he didn’t mention their names like he had for the healers, but didn’t say anything out loud. He supposed it was only natural, since Barley would be seeing the healers a lot more often than any of them. 

“Well, now that’s out of the way, come on in and have a seat! I’ll go out and catch some mice for everyone in just a moment.”

Whitestorm stepped forward, along with Brindleface. “We can help catch them if you’re all right with it,” he said. “We’re not as hungry as everyone else, and we would feel bad if we didn’t help out in some way.”

Barley glanced at him, then nodded. “All right then, if you insist.” He then turned around and entered the tall grass surrounding the barn, his black tipped tail disappearing behind him. The warriors exchanged a glance before following him.

Mudfur chuckled under his breath, “same old Barley,” before he padded towards the barn. Firepaw was still looking where the strange cat had disappeared to when Spottedleaf gently called for him to follow, breaking him from his spell to quickly catch up.

The inside of the barn was bigger than it looked from the outside. It was clear that it had been abandoned by the housefolk who lived in the main farmhouse, as grass grew freely on the ground and hay was strewn everywhere. In one of the corners sat a nest made out of the hay and some moss that Firepaw figured was Barley’s. The entrance plus small holes in the roof provided enough light for them to see where they were going.

Mudfur led them to the opposite side of the barn from the nest and settled on a soft patch of grass with a sigh. Spottedleaf sat beside him and began whispering something to him that Firepaw couldn’t overhear and didn’t try to. Instead, he went and lied down next to Graypaw on some hay, relishing the relief of getting off of his paws. They lied there together quietly, too tired to get into a conversation just yet, until Barley came back in with Whitestorm and Brindleface close behind.

The healers were given their prey before Brindleface brought Firepaw and Graypaw two mice, one for them each. She smirked when they immediately dug into the prey after saying quick thanks and left them on their own to chat with Whitestorm. Barley grabbed his own mouse and went to sit next to Mudfur and Spottedleaf. 

Firepaw’s mouse was gone in a flash, leaving him licking his lips in satisfaction. He had eaten many mice since the first one he had caught half of a moon ago, but this was the best one he had ever eaten so far. When he looked at Graypaw, he huffed a laugh to find that his mouse had gone just as quickly, leaving the big tom looking like he was longing for more. Hearing the laugh, Graypaw scoffed and gave him a bit of a shove. “What are you laughing at, huh?” 

“Nothing, just at how you look like you haven’t eaten a mouse in moons even though you literally just finished one,” he teased, earning himself another shove. “Hey, if you’re that hungry, why don’t you just get your lazy butt off the ground and get one for yourself, huh?”

He expected yet another hit, but when that never came, his amusement died down. Graypaw was now looking at his paws with a small frown. “… As a healer apprentice,” he murmured, “I’m not allowed to hunt. That’s supposed to be the duty of the warriors who take care of healers. Plus, it’s considered taboo to purposefully kill anything as a healer. Only in times of dire need is a healer allowed to hunt for themselves, and that’ll probably never happen to me.”

“Oh…” Firepaw internally cursed at himself. “Sorry…” he said, for it was all he could think to say.

Graypaw shook his head. “No, it’s fine. You didn’t know.” His smile came back a bit as he continued, “besides, I was never that good of a hunter anyway. I only caught a scrawny squirrel a couple of days ago, and that was because it was sick. I couldn’t even eat it as my first caught prey, or else I would’ve gotten the worst bellyache!”

He chuckled. “True… but still, it kind of sucks you can’t do it anymore.”

“Yeah, well, now there’s a lot more stuff that I  _ can _ do. I’m looking forward to seeing Dustpaw and Sandpaw’s faces when it’s announced to ThunderClan that I’m Spottedleaf’s apprentice. They think they’re so high and mighty because of who their parents are, but now  _ I’m _ more important than they’ll ever be.” 

Firepaw knocked his head into Graypaw’s shoulder. “Hey, now, don’t let this make your head bigger than it already is. You’re still an apprentice, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Graypaw laughed.

A quiet moment passed over them both, Graypaw’s smile becoming thinner as his thoughts came back. “But, you know, there will be some things that I’ll miss about being a warrior apprentice. The hunting thing isn’t so bad compared to not training with you everyday anymore.”

Firepaw swallowed thickly before pressing his pelt to Graypaw’s flank. “Yeah… I’ll miss that, too. But we’ll still hang out each night after our own trainings are done, I promise you that.” He paused as another thing came to mind. “Will you have to move to the healer’s den when we get back?”

“Not if I don’t want to. Since I’m still an apprentice, I can keep my nest in the apprentice’s den until I’m needed in the healer’s den full time.” He smirked at Firepaw. “You’re not getting rid of my snoring that easily.”

“Darn…” he muttered with humor, earning him that third shove. They both laughed and spent the rest of their break at the barn imitating what they thought Dustpaw and Sandpaw’s faces would look like once they returned. 


	10. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo... wow I was so busy this weekend, and I'll admit that I've been slacking on both editing and NaNoWriMo, but hey, at least I got this chapter out before the deadline passed ^^;
> 
> Little time skip in here, but where should be obvious.
> 
> Deadline for chapter 9 is Saturday ! Enjoy ~

The journey back was fairly uneventful. They parted with Mudfur at Fourtrees, and by that time, the sun was already beginning to light the sky. The dawn patrol was just heading out as they finally reached camp, consisting of Lionheart, Tigerclaw, and Ravenpaw. Spottedleaf stopped and asked them to wait for an announcement from Bluestar. Tigerclaw wasn’t happy about being delayed, but didn’t quarrel with her. Ravenpaw gave Firepaw and Graypaw confused and worried looks, but Graypaw just gave him a big smile before trotting after Spottedleaf.

Firepaw watched him go with Spottedleaf to Bluestar’s den, calling the leader out to inform her of what had happened. Bluestar blinked in surprise at what Spottedleaf told her, then looked down at Graypaw and purred her congratulations. Graypaw ducked his head bashfully. But Spottedleaf whispered one more thing to Bluestar that had her smile dropping. She looked to her healer and nodded seriously before bringing back her smile, though it wasn’t as big as before. She turned and leaped onto the Highrock, giving the traditional call, “all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Slowly, cats began to emerge from their dens, yawning in the morning light. It was clear that mostly everyone had just woken up, though no one openly complained. Firepaw could see the elders peak out from under the fallen tree and the caretakers emerging from the nursery, followed by a cautious, but curious, Swiftkit. Dustpaw and Sandpaw poked their heads out of the ferns of the apprentice’s den, looking irritable and tired. Firepaw, who was sitting next to Brindleface and Whitestorm in the middle of the clearing, was joined by Ravenpaw. “Do you know what this is about?” he asked in a hush voice.

Firepaw grinned at him. “It’s nothing bad. Just listen.”

Though not completely satisfied with the answer, it did help soothe Ravenpaw’s ruffled pelt. 

Once Bluestar was sure everyone had made it to the clearing and was listening, she began, “as you know, last night was the night of the halfmoon. Spottedleaf made the journey to the Moonstone along with our two newest apprentices, Graypaw and Firepaw. Their mentors, Whitestorm and Brindleface, also went along. Now, they have returned, and it is with great pleasure that I can announce ThunderClan has a new healer apprentice, as decreed by StarClan themselves.” Surprised murmurs scattered around the clearing as everyone laid their eyes on Graypaw, who sat next to Spottedleaf by the Highrock. “Graypaw, you have received a vision from StarClan, and have accepted your new role in this Clan?”

Graypaw visibly swallowed and stepped forward, his head held high even though his steps seemed a little unsteady. “Yes, that is correct,” he said clearly for everyone to hear. 

“Then ThunderClan welcomes you as their new healer apprentice. May you serve us well.” Bluestar dipped her head briefly towards Graypaw, making him too flustered to respond back. She smiled at him before scanning the crowd. “Whitestorm,” she called as her eyes landed on him. “You were assigned Graypaw as your apprentice a half moon ago. No doubt you would have been a fine mentor and trained him to be a valuable warrior, but StarClan has decided that he must walk a different path. You have been released from mentoring duties until the next kit is ready to be apprenticed.”

Whitestorm bowed his head, and although Firepaw could see some sadness in his gaze, the pride and understanding easily outshined it. 

“Now, with that settled, this meeting is dismissed,” Bluestar said, nodding once before jumping back down next to Spottedleaf. They whispered to each other once more, then Bluestar gestured for her to enter her den in Highrock. Spottedleaf nodded and pushed past the lichen, calling for Graypaw to follow. Movements stiff and unsure, he slowly followed behind his new mentor, Bluestar going in immediately after.

“Wow… Graypaw’s really a healer apprentice now, huh?” Ravenpaw whispered from beside Firepaw, snapping his attention back to the clearing. Everyone, for the most part, had slunk back to their dens to return to sleeping. Quickly, he glanced back to the apprentice’s den, where Dustpaw and Sandpaw were still staring at the Highrock, mouths agape. Dustpaw caught Firepaw’s look and recovered fast enough to spit in his direction before stomping back inside the ferns. Sandpaw huffed and followed him in as well, not even bothering to look at Firepaw.

He smirked and turned back to Ravenpaw. “Yup, he really is.”

“Ravenpaw!” Tigerclaw snapped from the gorse tunnel.

Ravenpaw startled, quickly getting to his feet. “Sorry, I got to go on dawn patrol now. But when I get back, you better tell me everything that happened.”

“Of course,” Firepaw purred, “now go before Tigerclaw bursts.”

As he watched Ravenpaw go, head low as he approached his mentor, Brindleface gave him a nudge towards the apprentice’s den. “You’ve been up for a long time,” she murmured, “so why don’t you go rest for the day. There’ll be no training until you’ve gotten a full night’s sleep.”

Firepaw nodded, feeling a yawn coming on. “Yeah, that’s a good idea…” 

She chuckled fondly. “All right then, I’ll see you once you wake up.” She gave him one more push to help get him on his feet before padding away to the warrior’s den, no doubt wanting her own sleep. 

He was quick to enter the ferns surrounding his den, peeking in first to make sure he wasn’t going to have any unwanted conversations. Luckily, Dustpaw and Sandpaw seemed to already be sleeping again, but he tiptoed to his nest just in case. With a soft sigh, he settled down into the soft moss, letting his eyes fall shut.

 

*

 

Firepaw walked slowly among the underbrush, the warm morning sunlight occasionally hitting his back through the lush leaves. It had been over two moons since he had joined ThunderClan, and greenleaf was well underway. This meant plenty of prey for him to catch and bring back to camp.

Many things had happened after his Moonstone trip, and as he went to where he knew the most prey would be, he let his mind reflect over all the events.

It had been strange training without Graypaw at first. Instead of being woken up by Graypaw, he would usually wake himself up and head to the Sandy Hollow by himself. Most days it would just be him and Brindleface training, though sometimes Ravenpaw and Tigerclaw did join them. Firepaw thought that he and Ravenpaw would bond more when they did train together, but often times the black apprentice would be quiet, only focused on what Tigerclaw told him to do. This meant that there was no chatting during breaks, a big change to what he was used to. 

But, just as he had promised, Firepaw made sure to seek out Graypaw immediately after training was over. Sometimes he would still be in the healer’s den learning about different herbs, but other times he would be waiting by the entrance to hear all about what he did that day. Firepaw would notice that Graypaw was more tired and less talkative, but Graypaw said it was because his mind was always spinning with all the herbs Spottedleaf was teaching him. Apparently, healer apprentices needed to be taught how to heal as soon as possible, just in case an emergency happened and Spottedleaf wasn’t around to help. Though stressful, Graypaw insisted that it was worth it, and Firepaw believed him.

Two Gatherings had passed, the first being mostly uneventful save for the fact that it was Ravenpaw’s first time attending one. Firepaw and Graypaw had stayed up waiting for him to return to hear every last detail, and it was then that Firepaw learned Ravenpaw was an excellent storyteller, easily drawing the both of them in, as well as Swiftkit, who had snuck out of the nursery while Speckletail was sleeping to hear him, too.

The second Gathering… 

Firepaw and Graypaw still hadn’t gone to one yet, but this time they were pleased enough by the fact that Dustpaw and Sandpaw were staying at camp, too. The only apprentice going was Ravenpaw, and he promised to tell them everything once he got back, just like last time. So they stayed up just as late, eager to hear who he had seen and what was happening in the broader spectrum of the territories. 

But when the cats chosen did return, it wasn’t to the tired satisfaction they usually arrived in. Instead, tension reeked in the air and had Firepaw’s fur standing on end. Ravenpaw slunk in towards the end of the group and immediately raced to them, green eyes wide and frantic. “Raggedstar is dead!” he whispered harshly. 

Firepaw blinked. He had made an effort to remember all the leader and deputy names of each Clan, and he knew Raggedstar to be the leader of ShadowClan.

“Dead?” Graypaw echoed. “What do you mean? Like, he died at the Gathering?”

Ravenpaw shook his head. “No, he was killed a few days ago!”

“And that’s unusual? We all knew he was on his last life, though it is brave to keep fighting like that.”

“No, no, you don’t understand!”

Before Firepaw could interrupt and have Ravenpaw calm down enough to tell them what really happened, Bluestar jumped onto the Highrock and yowled for a Clan meeting, hushing all the other confused murmurings around the clearing. When everyone had gathered beneath her, she spoke the words that shook the Clan.

“Raggedstar was killed a few days ago by his son, Brokentail. After amassing a large following in ShadowClan, Brokentail seized leadership away from the deputy, Rowanberry. He appeared at the Gathering without any of ShadowClan’s healers, and claimed to be called Brokenstar.”

Gasps broke out in the crowd. “What are we going to do about it?” Darkstripe shouted from where he sat. “We all know there are  _ many _ cats in ShadowClan that come before him in the line of succession. This is in clear violation of the warrior code!”

Many angry shouts rose up in agreement, but Bluestar lifted her tail for silence. “For now, we will not do anything. Brokenstar did not declare war on any Clan, nor demand anything we cannot give. We must remember that ShadowClan is the largest Clan out of all of them; we cannot go rushing into battle just because he claims himself to be leader. That is an issue for ShadowClan to figure out for themselves. Until we are given reason to retaliate, the only thing we will do is increase patrols by the Thunderpath. That is all.”

The news had greatly unsettled the Clan. According to the elders, this hadn’t happened in many,  _ many _ moons, certainly not in their lifetimes. And when the next halfmoon came and Spottedleaf and Graypaw reported that neither Yellowfang nor Runningnose had shown up, some cats began to panic.

In an effort to calm things down and bring up morale, Bluestar had Dustpaw’s warrior ceremony take place a couple days after the halfmoon once he completed his final examination. Though Firepaw didn’t like Dustpaw, he still watched the ceremony in awe as he became Dustpelt.

Before he went to sit vigil for the night - a tradition for new warriors - and after receiving congratulations from his former mentor Lionheart, his mother Goldenflower, and Sandpaw, Firepaw noticed how Dustpelt eagerly glanced towards Tigerclaw, his father. Their eyes met, but instead of a look of pride Firepaw expected of a father, Tigerclaw’s expression was blank as he turned and went into the warrior’s den without a word. Dustpelt’s smile faded, ears drawing back and glaring at the ground as he took his place by the gorse entrance.

And even though he still did not like the dark brown tabby, Firepaw felt a pang of sympathy for Dustpelt and increasing anger towards Tigerclaw. From what Firepaw could tell, Tigerclaw struck fear in Ravenpaw, didn’t pay attention to his only kit, and still looked at Firepaw like he was an outsider.

In an act of solidarity, he padded up to Dustpelt and gave him quick congratulations, turning to leave before the new warrior had time to process it. Graypaw hadn’t understood why he had done so after everything Dustpelt had said about him, but Firepaw didn’t feel the need to explain, so he simply said that he thought it was the nice thing to do.

In addition to the morale boost of a new warrior, soon after Brindleface brought the exciting news that she was expecting her WindClan mate’s kits. The excitement of new kits coming certainly helped calm the Clan, though Firepaw was worried about what this meant for his training.

“I’ll still be mentoring you,” she had told him when he asked, “all the way up until these kits decide they’re ready to come out, or whenever Spottedleaf tells me it’s time to move to the nursery, whichever comes first. After that, you’ll be given a temporary mentor for a moon while I nurse the little ones, which will probably be Lionheart, since he hasn’t an apprentice anymore. But as soon as I’m allowed out of the nursery, I’ll be back to training you as always.”

Another halfmoon had passed since then (with Yellowfang and Runningnose still missing from the Moonstone visits), and Firepaw had just been assigned his first solo hunting mission. Though Lionheart was a bit hesitant to allow him out by himself, Brindleface had convinced the deputy that he would be fine since ShadowClan had been quiet since the last Gathering. And so there he was, out in the early morning, about to start hunting for the Clan.

Firepaw paused to sniff the air, deeming it far enough from camp that prey would be freely roaming from out of their holes. As he suspected, the fresh scent of water vole hit his nose, also reminding him of how close to the river he was. Putting a mental note to keep that in mind, he crouched low to the ground as he scanned the forest floor for the vole. A flash of brown brought his attention to a nearby tree, where the vole was scurrying about near its tiny den. He licked his lips as he put all his hunting training he had learned up until then into his crouch, movement, and pacing. 

He was about to pounce when a loud rustling sound came from behind him alerting the vole to his presence and dashing into the safety of its hole. Holding down his frustration, he cautiously turned to whoever cost him his freshkill. Firepaw could see the ferns swaying to the weight of a cat, but when he opened his mouth to see if it was a ThunderClan cat, a large summer breeze swept over him, directly to the stranger, who paused before turning in his direction.

Firepaw was immediately on edge. A friendly ThunderClan warrior would have recognized how close he was and called out to alert him of their presence. But this cat… this cat was  _ stalking _ towards him. 

Remembering Brindleface’s advice about going against an enemy warrior alone, Firepaw quickly scrambled up the nearest tree, edging out onto one of the low hanging branches, claws unsheathed. He waited until the cat moved directly under him, and once the dark gray shape exited the ferns, Firepaw leaped with a battle cry right onto the enemy’s broad back, digging in with his claws.

“Ow!” cried the cat in a familiar voice. “W-what?!”

Firepaw blinked. “Graypaw…?”

But before he could detach himself from his friend’s back, Graypaw - not realizing it was him - screeched, “rogue enemy!” Clearly calling back to one of their first battle training sessions, Graypaw flipped himself over, squeezing the air out of Firepaw’s lungs as he sheathed his claws. Graypaw rolled back onto his feet facing him, fur fluffed up to twice his usual size as he hissed. But then he caught sight of his dark ginger tabby pelt and paused. “Wait… Firepaw?”

“Yeah, it’s me…” he wheezed, pushing himself into a sitting position so he could lick is chest fur back down. 

“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry. I thought you were some rogue that was attacking me! Why did you do that? My shoulders are killing me now, and you know it’s against the warrior code to purposefully hurt a healer.”

“ _ I _ thought  _ you _ were an enemy warrior. I mean, who else would be stalking up on me like that?”

“Stalking?” Graypaw huffed. “I was  _ trying _ to sneak up on you and give you a surprise.”

“Well, we both gave each other a surprise then.” He paused as he watched Graypaw twist his head to lick at his shoulders. “But I am sorry about digging into you so hard. Will you be all right?”

“Yeah, it’s just a few tiny scratches. I may not have done any battle training in a couple moons, but I’m not fragile yet. If Spottedleaf asks about it when I get back, I’ll just say I fell into a bramble bush. She’ll believe that; you know how clumsy I am.”

“You’re a big oaf all right,” Firepaw teased, going over to give Graypaw’s flank a friendly nudge. “Now that’s settled, what are you even doing here? You know you’re not supposed to be out by yourself, especially as a healer apprentice.”

“I’m not by myself, am I?” Graypaw smirked and returned the nudge. “I’ve got you.” When Firepaw gave him a look, he caved. “All right, all right… I wanted a little break from herb memorizing, so I told Spottedleaf I was going to go make dirt, then I snuck out from the secret entrance by the warrior’s den. But don’t worry, I plan to pick up some of the herbs I do know while I’m out here, so it won’t be a waste.”

“Oh, yeah, that really convinces me that this is all right," Firepaw said with sarcasm, shaking his head. “Whatever, as long as you stick by me, I’ll say you’ve been with me the whole time. But you should know that I’m on a solo hunting trip right now, and you’re ‘sneaking around’ just now made me lose a water vole. No more lumbering about, all right?”

Graypaw frowned. “Lumbering about…” he muttered to himself. “ _ I _ thought I was pretty sneaky…”

Firepaw rolled his eyes. “Oh, and hey, speaking of the secret entrance, I was thinking that once I’ve caught a lot of prey for camp, I would go see if Princess is out and about. There’s no patrol by the Twolegplace until sundown, and there’s certainly no one around here to catch us. Besides, it’s been almost three moons already; I think I’ve earned enough trust, don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Graypaw said. “Well, I guess as long as we’re quick and quiet about it, I don’t think it’ll hurt. It has been around a moon since we last visited.”

Firepaw nodded. He had been keeping up on his promise of at least one visit per moon, each time sneaking out of camp at night with Graypaw by his side. The first visit after their halfmoon trip was mostly spent explaining what a healer was and why it was so special for Graypaw to be a healer apprentice, but once she got it, Princess could do nothing more but shower him with congratulations. Firepaw knew Graypaw had liked that, seeing that even though he was one of the most important cats in ThunderClan now, Darkstripe still avoided him like he had greencough. “Then it’s settled then,” Firepaw said. “Around sunhigh, we’ll go and see if she’s out.”

The morning passed quickly after that. Graypaw made for great company as he caught several pieces of prey, including a mouse and a thrush. As they walked on, Graypaw would occasionally stop to gather some leaves or berries, placing them all in a giant leaf he had found to easily carry everything with him. Firepaw had tried to ask what each one was, but they all eventually blended together in his mind, so he stopped asking. Overall, he was glad that Graypaw had come with him, since he distracted him from his own hunger that desperately wanted a bite of the prey he was catching, despite knowing that he wasn’t allowed to eat before bringing everything back to camp at the end of the day. 

It was getting to be sunhigh when Firepaw lifted his tail to silence Graypaw, spotting a lone squirrel chewing on a seed a tree-length away. Graypaw shut his mouth firmly and crouched as Firepaw got into the stalking position.

Over the course of almost three moons, he had gotten used to the uneven forest floor and knew the best way to navigate through it without giving away his position. He used that knowledge then to creep over fallen sticks and leaves, getting close enough to be able to successfully pounce on it. He positioned his feet, about to do just that, when a harsh tug on his tail sent him scrambling backwards. Firepaw turned to see Graypaw releasing his tail from his mouth, and was about to ask him what he thought he was doing, when a snarl sounded from where the squirrel was. He quickly looked back and froze in place.

The squirrel, who had just a moment ago been alive, was now dead, a sleek red figure pinning it down as sharp, shiny teeth sunk into the meat. It looked like a cross between a cat and a dog, but Firepaw recognized the bushy, white-tipped tail from back when he had met Graypaw.

“It’s a fox,” Graypaw quietly hissed at him, backing away slowly. It hadn’t realized they were there yet, too busy feasting on its meal. “Probably the same one we drove out three moons ago. Come on, Firepaw. We have to go report this to Bluestar.”

Firepaw nodded, taking careful steps backwards to follow Graypaw. The strong, dank scent of fox overpowered any other scent he could smell as soon as the breeze blew towards them, and he wrinkled his nose in disgust. As soon as they were out of sight of it, they dashed away as quickly as possible. Once they knew that it wasn’t chasing them, they slowed to a halt, panting heavily with adrenaline. 

“We - ” Firepaw began to say, but the words were drowned out by a loud rumbling sound, followed by a strong wind that almost knocked them both over. He looked behind him to see that they had ran straight to the road marking the border between them and ShadowClan. It wasn’t long before the foul stench of fox was replaced with the sour taste of the road. 

“I didn’t know we had come so far,” Graypaw murmured as they backed away to a safe distance. 

“Me neither…” Firepaw sighed once he caught his breath. “Well, I suppose we should go back and circle around the fox to where I buried the prey I caught, then we’ll head straight to camp to report this. Guess this means no meeting with Princess…”

Graypaw nudged him gently. “Don’t worry; we can sneak out to meet her tonight, as long as we’re careful about the fox.”

“Yeah…” 

“All right then, let’s go.” Graypaw gave him a reassuring smile before turning back towards camp. 

Before Firepaw followed, he glanced back to the road, silent now with no passing cars, then to the bushes on the other side. He wondered - not for the first time - about ShadowClan and Brokenstar, and how many cats actually approved of him taking power so ruthlessly and why. Had Raggedstar been such a bad leader? If he had, then was it so bad that Brokenstar had to take control? He wasn’t sure, nor was he sure if he would ever know. For now, he had to trust in Bluestar’s decision to stay out of it. So, he turned and followed Graypaw back into the forest without hesitation. 

As per the plan, they made a wide circle around where they had found the fox, keeping their eyes, ears, and noses alert for any sign that it had moved closer to camp. There weren’t any, but Firepaw could still smell the rank scent of it, even if it was stale by then. Mixing in with the leftover residue from the road left him almost blind scent-wise to anything else, and he knew that he wouldn’t be catching any more prey until they got back to report and the smell finally faded away.

They finally reached the small clearing Firepaw had chosen to bury his prey so other predators wouldn’t get it, and he was relieved to find everything still intact; the fox hadn’t discovered his hiding place, so all the work he did that morning thankfully did not go to waste.

It was then that Graypaw cursed at himself. “Foxdung… I dropped the supply I was carrying when I saw that fox… Now I don’t have anything to bring back to prove I wasn’t just fooling around with you the whole time.”

“I mean, you  _ were _ kind of fooling around with me the whole time. You were just picking leaves while you were doing it.”

“Yeah, but that’d still be better than showing up with nothing…”

Firepaw hummed. “Well, you can pick stuff on our way to camp. It’s still a little while until we arrive; I’m sure there’s plenty of herbs you can collect along the way. It is greenleaf, after all.”

This had Graypaw perking up. “You’re right. Then I’ll have  _ something _ to bring back.” He smiled. “Come on, then, we should get back before the sunhigh hunting patrol is sent out.”

Nodding, Firepaw bent down to grab as many pieces of prey he could carry, relieved he could carry it all by himself, though it certainly was a mouthful. Once he was ready, he gave Graypaw a nod, and they set off.

About halfway to camp, Graypaw paused, gesturing for Firepaw to pause as well. Thinking he had spotted some herbs, Firepaw gently set down his prey and opened his mouth to ask what he found, but Graypaw’s bushy tail quickly covered his muzzle. Alarm flared through him as he heard what Graypaw had; the distinct rustling of another cat coming towards them.

Slowly, he lifted his head to see if he could smell whether or not this cat was friend or foe. But the scent of fox and road was still heavy in his nose, so the only thing he could make out was that this cat was a molly, and she was definitely  _ not _ from ThunderClan. 

He gestured to Graypaw to stay put while he crawled forward, eyes focused on the moving bushes ahead of them. Figuring out where she was going to come out from, Firepaw got into a crouch and prepared to leap, unsheathing his paws. From behind him, he could smell Graypaw’s fear, and he wondered if this stranger could as well. But then he shook his head to clear it from such thoughts.  _ This cat is trespassing on ThunderClan territory, and I  _ will _ chase them away even if that means I must fight! _

With these thoughts circling in his mind, he gathered the courage to leap as soon as he spotted fur between the bush branches. Firepaw yowled a battle cry, claws ready to swipe at the unsuspecting cat’s face, when suddenly Graypaw cried, “Firepaw, wait! Wait!”

Thrown off balance by the sudden cry, Firepaw trusted his friend and sheathed his claws, only batting at the side of the cat’s shocked face harmlessly before tumbling to a stop a fox-length away. Still on alert, he quickly got back to his feet and hissed at the intruder, raising his back to an arch in an attempt at intimidation. But what - or rather,  _ who _ he saw had him stop, blinking in bewilderment.

“Yellowfang?!”


	11. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God... I'm soo behind on NaNoWriMo rn, and it's all because I just Had to buy Stardew Valley on Steam on Tuesday n play it any and every chance I got, distracting me from not only my writing and editing, but also some schoolwork... Sigh loll
> 
> But ! Finally tore myself away from the game long enough to do at least a little bit of writing, as well as finish editing this chapter !
> 
> Deadline for chapter 10 is Tuesday ! Enjoy ~

“Yellowfang…?” Graypaw took a cautious step forward. “You’re Yellowfang, aren’t you?”

She certainly looked like Yellowfang with her flat face and bright orange eyes, but she was also very different from the healer Firepaw had met over two moons ago. Her coat was matted like she hadn’t had the time to groom in moons, and she was limping on her hind leg. But the most drastic change visible was four distinct claw marks raked across her muzzle.

Graypaw suddenly gasped, and when Firepaw looked to see what had spooked him, he saw that his gaze was locked on those scars, his fear scent creeping back up as he took back his step. “That…” he stammered weakly, “that’s an… exile mark, isn’t it?”

_An exile mark_ , Firepaw thought with alarm. He had heard about exile as a form of punishment, most notably when he had the fear of receiving a nightmare while visiting the Moonstone, but he hadn’t heard of anyone alive that had gone through it. And though he had heard of exile, this was the first time he had heard about an ‘exile mark’. The name carried a weight to it that sent shivers of unease down his spine.

“But…” Graypaw continued, or at least tried through his nervousness, “but you’re a healer… How can a healer get an exile mark?” He visibly swallowed. “What… what did you do to get it?”

The dark ginger molly, who was still on guard and had been the entire time, spat at the ground, “I’m not Yellowfang. Not anymore… I became Yellow after I was given this.” She lifted her head higher so the exile mark was more visible. Her voice was raspy like Firepaw remembered it to be, but it was also weaker, and it was obvious she was in need of a drink. She glanced up at the two of them and gave a low chuckle, free of mirth. “I suppose I should be lucky I came across two puny apprentices instead of a patrol full of warriors. Perhaps StarClan has not abandoned me after all…” She sniffed at them. “You’re Spottedleaf’s apprentice, aren’t you? What was it? Graypaw? And you… you were with him when he came to the Moonstone. Flamepaw… Blazepaw… Emberpaw…?”

“ _Fire_ paw,” he muttered, feeling annoyance under his confusion of the situation.

She smirked at him. “Look scrawny enough to be a Squirrelpaw to me.”

He bristled, but Graypaw stepped over to him before he could respond. “You’re not answering my questions.” It seemed that he had gotten back his courage, as his voice no longer shook. “How exactly did you get an exile mark?”

Yellow glared down Graypaw. “Are you sure you want to know, kit?”

“Before I have to call a patrol on you, you should start explaining,” he said firmly, returning the stare even though his tail twitched uncomfortably.

Eventually she grunted, “all right then, but you have to promise you’ll listen to _everything_ I have to say.”

Both Graypaw and Firepaw nodded.

Yellow sighed, briefly closing her eyes before finally saying, “I was _accused_ of killing kits.”

Immediately Graypaw’s pelt was bristling, his hackles rising as horror dawned on his face. “Killing kits…” he repeated quietly.

Firepaw swallowed thickly. If he had learned anything about Clan life, it was that killing kits and healers were the most heinous crimes imaginable. But instead of saying anything, both he and Graypaw stayed silent to keep their promise, however difficult it was. To try and comfort the both of them, he pressed his flank to Graypaw’s as he prepared to hear the rest of the tale.

“ _Accused_ ,” Yellow repeated with a hiss. “I would never even dream of doing such a thing. I’m a _healer_ for StarClan’s sake; I help bring kits into this world, not take their lives! But I supposed it was the only thing Brokentail could think of to get rid of me without too much of an uprising…”

“Brokentail…?” Firepaw murmured. “You mean Brokenstar? Why would the leader of ShadowClan want to get rid of their healer?”

She spat to the ground. “No, I mean Broken _tail._ When he forced me and Runningnose to take him to the Moonstone to grant him his nine lives after he… _killed_ Raggedstar, StarClan did not grant him his wish. He woke up screaming from a nightmare about his own death. But instead of obeying the will of StarClan, he declared our ancestors to be fools and forbade both Runningnose and I from going back to the Moonstone. When he returned to ShadowClan, he lied to the Clan by saying he had received all nine lives, further tricking them by having them think StarClan had really allowed him to do this…” She shook her head harshly. “Of course I was against everything, but he threatened me with all of his allies if I dared speak the truth. Once he realized even that wouldn’t stop me… he knew he had to drive me out before I could jeopardize his rule.”

Graypaw’s fur had mostly settled itself the more Yellow continued to speak, and once she became quiet, he asked softly, “if you were accused of killing kits, why didn’t they just kill you? The punishment for doing such a crime is death. Instead… you were exiled?”

A humorless laugh escaped Yellow’s lips. “When he ‘exposed’ my crime to the Clan, he announced that because of my position as healer, and because… because I _personally_ brought him into this world… he would spare my life and exile me instead.” To herself, she muttered sarcastically, “and what a kind deed _that_ was…”

Firepaw’s ears perked up. “You’re… Brokentail’s mother?”

“Yes… Raggedstar had been my mate before… well, you know.” He saw sorrow flash across her face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced again by anger.

“If you didn’t kill those kits…” Graypaw asked hesitantly, “then who did?”

“Brokentail, of course. He took them out of camp, killed them, and called on me to try and heal them. Little did I know his only goal was to get my scent all over them to make his story more believable. There were some who didn’t believe it, but they were too frightened to speak up and follow my fate.” She looked between them. “I’m sure you know that a cat with an exile mark is to be killed on sight if found on any Clan territory.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Firepaw challenged. “This is ThunderClan territory. Did you come here intent on dying?”

Yellow’s tail lashed out. “Perhaps I did. Or perhaps I thought there was a chance I would be spared upon recognition, knowing that I… _used_ to be a healer. Either situation would be better than starving to death.”

Graypaw scanned her over. “How long have you been exiled…?”

“For around a moon, I’m guessing. It’s hard to keep track when you can barely sleep.”

Firepaw’s eyes widened considerably. “You’ve been fending for yourself for around a moon?! When was the last time you ate?” When Yellow didn’t respond, he stepped forward and plucked a rabbit from his pile, bringing it over to the old cat. Yellow tensed as he set it in front of her, but he backed away as soon as it fell from his mouth. “Eat.”

She raised a brow. “Are you sure? No matter what I haven’t done, I’m still an exiled cat.”

“But before you were a healer, and since joining ThunderClan, I’ve been taught that healers, especially those your elder, should be respected no matter which Clan they belong to.” He paused. “Or… don’t belong to, in this case.”

Yellow huffed, but finally settled down with a rough sigh. “I’m not _that_ old…” she muttered to herself as she bit into the rabbit. Firepaw smiled when she couldn’t hide her small purr of bliss.

Graypaw made a worried noise beside him. “I’m not sure everyone will agree with this…” he murmured. “I’m not saying that it’s the wrong thing to do, but I’d expect your usual haters to protest once they find out.” Firepaw hummed lowly and nodded, mentally preparing himself for whatever awaited him once they returned to camp. “Anyway, there was a patrol sent to WindClan a little while before I left camp; they should be around here somewhere by now. I’ll go tell them what happened and send them back here, then I’ll stop by camp to inform Bluestar of everything.” He glanced to Yellow. “If you’re fine with me doing that, of course.”

“As long as I can keep eating this rabbit, I’m fine with anything,” Yellow muttered through a full mouth.

“All right then,” Graypaw sighed, looking to Firepaw. “You can keep an eye on her until I get back, right?”

“Of course,” he replied before lowering his voice, “I mean, looking at the condition she’s in, I don’t think she could get very far even if she does try to sneak off.”

“I heard that,” Yellow called, still chewing on a large bite. “It’s very rude to whisper about someone when they’re not even a fox-length away, you know.”

Firepaw’s ear tips burned as he glared in her direction while Graypaw chuckled. “Good luck,” he whispered to Firepaw as he slipped past and towards the WindClan border. He watched him go before nervously turning back to look at Yellow.

The old molly licked her lips, then sighed. “I don’t remember the last time I was this full…” she muttered, turning herself around to try and groom her matted fur, though Firepaw knew it would take many long sessions to get it back to what it once was.

They both sat there wordlessly after that as Firepaw tried to think of something to say to break the awkward silence. He was opening his mouth to try and make small talk when his eyes landed on the leftovers Yellow hadn’t finished. Whatever he was going to ask slipped from his mind as his stomach growled. Graypaw was no longer there to distract him from his hunger and a tempting part of his mind told him that if he didn’t eat the rest of the rabbit, it would go to waste.

Yellow lifted her head and saw him staring intently at the rabbit, beginning to sneer. “Oh, is someone hungry?” she asked lowly. “Well, I’m not going to eat the rest of that; my stomach isn’t as big as it used to be. So… do as you please with it.” Her smirk grew wider. “It really would be a shame to let all that meat go to waste, though…”

Firepaw swallowed, Yellow’s words not helping him drive off the temptation. _But…_ that same part of his mind whispered, _isn’t wasting prey almost as bad as eating before you’re told? If you tried to bring this back to camp, it’d be crowfood before anyone would be able to eat it. Besides, it’s only one bite. Hardly a meal for anyone…_

As his treacherous mind tried to convince him, Yellow nudged the rabbit bones and meat closer to him with one of her paws, brow raised as if in challenge. _She doesn’t think I’ll do it,_ he realized. _She thinks I’d rather let the rest of it go to waste than eat it for myself. Well, I know what to do to wipe that smug grin off of her face…_

While staring her straight in the eye, Firepaw bent down and gobbled the rabbit up, trying his best to hide the pleasure of finally having something in his belly after a long morning of hunting. Yellow blinked at him, then wheezed out a laugh. “My, maybe I should have paid more attention to you when we first met. You sure are an interesting kit, all right.”

“I’m not a kit…” he muttered, licking his lips as the guilt started to come to him. Had he really done that just to spite an old, exiled molly? He groaned to himself; now he really was going to be in trouble. Maybe if he was quick enough he could get rid of the evidence before -

“So, it is true,” a sharp voice suddenly said. Firepaw spun around in time to watch as a group of three cats entered the small clearing where they sat. Firepaw felt his heart sink to the ground as he realized the one who spoke to be Tigerclaw, and following behind him were Willowpelt and Darkstripe. “Yellowfang, one of ShadowClan’s healers, is here in ThunderClan territory.” His harsh yellow gaze fell upon her scars. “And she has an exile mark as well. I suppose that would just make her Yellow, then. Seems that your brother wasn’t lying after all, Darkstripe.”

Darkstripe spat, “he’s no brother of mine if he willingly let an exiled cat be left alone with a kittypet.”

_Of course it had to be these two who were a part of the WindClan patrol,_ Firepaw thought with an inward groan. He glanced behind him and saw that Yellow was back on her guard, crouching with her fur bristling. Tigerclaw took a menacing step forward, but Firepaw was quick to dash between them. “Wait - ” he tried to say, but froze when Tigerclaw sniffed the air. His face darkened, and Firepaw knew this wasn’t going to end well.

“You _fed_ this cat?” Tigerclaw growled lowly, taking another step forward. Firepaw swallowed and mirrored the step backwards. “And by the smell of you, you also decided to feed _yourself_ while you were at it. Feeding an exiled cat and yourself before the rest of the Clan…” Tigerclaw moved another step forward while Firepaw stumbled over his own step back. “This isn’t looking good for you. Now, before you make this worse for yourself, step aside so I can deal with this scum.”

Firepaw felt his stance shaking, but he didn’t move a muscle.

He heard Yellow shuffle nervously from behind him. “It’s fine, Firepaw,” she hissed, “you shouldn’t throw away your life for someone like me. Do as he says and step aside.”

But he still didn’t move, ignoring her quiet plea.

“Step _aside_ , Firepaw!” Yellow repeated, louder and with a small hint of worry.

Impatience written clear as day on his face, Tigerclaw took another step forward and shouted, “ _Move!_ ” Firepaw flinched, ready to take a strike, but then a quiet voice spoke up and interrupted whatever was going his way.

“Tigerclaw, wait just a moment.” The voice belonged to Willowpelt, who had previously been standing silently next to Darkstripe. But now she slowly stepped forward, placing herself in front of the larger warrior. “Whatever her name and status is now, this is _Yellowfang_. She’s been a healer since before we were born. Don’t you think it’s odd such a respected healer has been exiled so soon after Brokenstar took control of ShadowClan?” She glanced in Firepaw’s direction. “And to have a loyal ThunderClan apprentice protect her so fiercely…” She looked back to Tigerclaw, gaze leveled on his chin. “You don’t believe there’s more to the story than just the exile mark?”

Before he could respond, the bushes rustled to reveal Bluestar emerging from them. “Willowpelt’s right, there is more to the story,” she said sternly. “Graypaw told me everything along the way.” As if summoned, Graypaw padded from the bushes as well, panting slightly. He scanned the clearing and upon seeing how close Tigerclaw was to Firepaw, quickly came to stand by Firepaw’s side. Bluestar also noted this and narrowed her eyes at Tigerclaw. “Stand down,” she commanded quietly.

Tigerclaw’s eye twitched, but he obeyed with a low dip to his head, taking several steps back until he was by Darkstripe.

Satisfied, Bluestar finally turned her attention to Yellow. The old molly had calmed down since Bluestar’s arrival, but she still looked warily at the leader, as if she expected Bluestar to sic Tigerclaw on her at a moment’s notice. “Yellowfang,” Bluestar began, her tone softened.

But before she could continue, Yellow muttered under her breath, “it’s _Yellow_ , now.”

“…Yellow,” Bluestar corrected herself. “I’ve heard the story you told these apprentices, and I’ve decided to allow you shelter in ThunderClan.” Tigerclaw rose to protest, but a flick of her tail quickly silenced him. “That is, if you answer any and all questions we have for you.”

Yellow gazed at her for a long while, but eventually nodded. “If that is all I must do, then I will cooperate,” she murmured.

Bluestar returned the nod. “The Clan will hear your story once we return.” She glanced towards Tigerclaw, Willowpelt, and Darkstripe. “They will also hear about what one of our border patrols found.”

Firepaw blinked, following her gaze to the patrol. _They found something over by WindClan?_ He looked to Graypaw, but he wasn’t looking at him, instead staring at the ground with unease.

Tigerclaw took a small step forward, head still bowed. “Bluestar,” he said cautiously. When she didn’t dismiss him, he continued, “when we arrived, we found evidence that Firepaw had fed Yellow, as well as himself.” His intense gaze slid towards Firepaw, who felt his dread creep into his bones. “As you know, it is against the warrior code to feed yourself before the Clan has been fed.”

When Bluestar’s eyes landed on Firepaw, it was everything he could do not to flinch in terror. “I see…” she murmured. “Then his punishment will also be announced during the Clan meeting. Once she hears, I expect Brindleface to be very disappointed, and talk to him about how important it is to follow all of the warrior code, even one as small as waiting one’s turn to eat.”

Shame filtered in with the dread as Firepaw kept his gaze to the ground. He could even feel Graypaw’s disbelieving eyes on him, which made it worse.

Bluestar cleared her throat. “Now, then, Willowpelt and Darkstripe will escort Yellow to camp. Until the Clan is satisfied with her story and her answers, she will be ThunderClan’s prisoner. But - ” she glanced at Tigerclaw, eyes firm - “I expect that she will still be treated with respect. Is that understood?”

Willowpelt murmured her agreement with Darkstripe copying only a moment later. Tigerclaw seemed to bite back something he wanted to say, but in the end only nodded stiffly.

“Good,” she said before turning her gaze to Graypaw. “And don’t think you get out of this scotch free. Spottedleaf will want to know why you were out here when you should be at camp learning.”

Graypaw swallowed, but nodded with his head low. “Yes, Bluestar.”

She hummed quietly. “Then I suppose that settles everything.” She looked to Yellow, who had gotten up to stand, but was favoring one of her hind legs. “Will you be able to walk?” she asked calmly.

“Of course,” Yellow spat, though her voice barely held any venom in it. “I’m _really_ not that old…” Slowly, she began to move forward, Willowpelt and Darkstripe silently flanking her. She shot an especially dirty look to Darkstripe, who blinked in surprise about how open she was in her hostility, but didn’t dare say anything in Bluestar’s presence.

Firepaw couldn’t quite tell from where he sat, but he thought he heard Bluestar give a small chuckle.

“Let’s go, then,” Bluestar finally said, leading the way back through the bushes and towards camp. Yellow followed behind her with her two guards, Firepaw - after grabbing the rest of his prey - and Graypaw walking close behind them. Tigerclaw, after giving out a low growl only Firepaw seemed to hear, took up the rear of the party, and Firepaw felt as thought he could feel his glare at the back of his head.

“Did you really eat with Yellow?” Graypaw asked in a whisper.

Firepaw sighed, nodding his head with difficulty. “I was too hungry to think, and Yellow certainly wasn’t helping,” he said through the fur and feathers. “She practically goaded me into doing it…”

“That _was_ pretty mouse-brained…” Graypaw murmured with a hint of teasing in his voice. “I was gone for only a couple of heartbeats and you go and do that.” He clicked his tongue. “Guess I really shouldn’t let you out of my sight then, huh.”

Firepaw snorted. “Oh, yeah, I’d be utterly _lost_ without you around.”

“You know it.”

The rest of the journey was quick and quiet. Once they neared the gorse tunnel, Bluestar paused, taking in a breath as if to prepare herself, before pushing her way through and leading the rest of the group in.

Most of the Clan was already out in the clearing, waiting for their arrival. It wasn’t everyday a healer apprentice suddenly called the leader away with no explanation to the rest of the Clan, after all. As soon as Yellow stepped through, her exile mark on full display, gasps and shocked whispers echoed through the clearing, multiple cats taking a few steps back.

Lionheart was quick to approach them. “Bluestar…?” he asked hesitantly, eyes drawn to Yellow with thinly veiled confusion.

“I’ll explain everything in just a moment,” was all she said, brushing past him. “Bring Yellow to the foot of the Highrock. Make sure no cat comes near her,” she called to Willowpelt and Darkstripe, who quickly and wordlessly obeyed.

Firepaw slunk away to place all of his kill on the freshkill pile before he quickly followed the group to the Highrock, knowing he would need to be present during the meeting for the announcement of his punishment. Graypaw stuck by his side, which he was thankful for, though he knew part of the reason was to avoid speaking with Spottedleaf for as long as he could. He didn’t blame him; he sure wasn’t looking forward to hearing Brindleface’s lecture after all of this.

Bluestar was quick to jump on the Highrock, calling out the words, “all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here for a Clan meeting!”

As the rest of the Clan gathered, Firepaw spotted Ravenpaw exiting the apprentice’s den. He saw the black apprentice spot Yellow, confusion and horror dawning his face before he found Firepaw and Graypaw in the crowd. Running past Sandpaw, who gave him a nasty glare for almost knocking her over, Ravenpaw quickly came to their sides.

“What’s happening?” he asked with a quiver in his voice. “Why is one of ShadowClan’s healers here, and why does she have an… an _exile mark_?”

“It’s… complicated,” Firepaw murmured. “But Bluestar’s going to explain everything. Just… try to stay open minded about it.”

“I’m not worried about Ravenpaw,” Graypaw muttered, eyes trained on Tigerclaw. The dark brown tabby had made his way over to Longtail and was whispering into the younger warrior’s ear. “There are some cats who will need some serious convincing to allow this…”

Firepaw nodded, watching as Longtail’s face darkened.

“ThunderClan,” Bluestar suddenly spoke, immediately quieting any more whispers, “as you can see, we have a guest with us.

“Guest?” Runningfoot called out, pelt bristling. “She has an exile mark! How can she be a _guest_?”

Many cats voiced their agreement, but all were silenced when Bluestar lifted her tail. “I will explain if you let me.” Her gaze scanned the crowd, and when no one spoke up again, she continued, “many of you may recognize this guest of ours. This is Yellow, formerly Yellowfang, and she was a healer of ShadowClan.” She paused to let that sink in. “Yes, I know you are confused. As was I when I first heard. How can a healer get an exile mark? Healers do not kill, and they do not want for power. But we all know the state ShadowClan is in right now. It seems that Brokenstar has not stopped at taking power for himself; he has abandoned StarClan altogether.

“Yellow has come to us with the story that Brokenstar falsely accused her of killing kits in order to stop her from telling the truth that StarClan did not give him nine lives, and instead rejected him with a nightmare at the Moonstone.” Cries of outrage sounded from the clearing, and Bluestar let them be for just a moment before calling for silence once more. “Spottedleaf.”

The healer stepped forward. “Yes, Bluestar?”

“As a healer, you know with a glance how many lives a cat has. You were at the last Gathering when Brokenstar claimed himself leader. Can you confirm that he did not have his nine lives?”

Spottedleaf’s brow furrowed as she thought back, then her eyes widened with realization. “Yes… yes, I do believe that’s true. He did not have the same aura as a newly appointed leader should. I suppose I was too shocked to fully notice.”

The Clan broke out into murmurs once more. “Then he is not Brokenstar like he claims he is,” Goldenflower loudly said for the clearing to hear. “He is still Brokentail in the eyes of StarClan.” At Spottedleaf’s nod, the volume of shock increased so much Bluestar had to caterwaul in order to maintain order.

“With evidence from our own healer, I can say that I believe Yellow’s story. But, in order for her to stay here, she will have to answer the questions we have about another piece of news a patrol found out today…” Bluestar’s frown was hard set, and she paused briefly, as if unsure how to tell it. Finally, she lifted her head to deliver the tale, “WindClan has been driven out of their territory by ShadowClan.”

If the clearing had been loud before, it was deafening now. Firepaw could barely hear each individual shout and question being thrown Bluestar’s way.

“How can this be?!” one cried.

“WindClan has always been on the small side… and to think the largest Clan drove them out… I don’t think they would have stood a chance,” another mourned.

“Where did they go? Where _could_ they go?”

“Why would they do such a thing? The territories are supposed to have four Clans, as decreed by StarClan! Was SkyClan’s sacrifice not enough?”

As the shouting continued, Firepaw glanced to see Yellow’s reaction. Though his view was being partially blocked by standing cats, he could see her ears were pinned to the back of her head. Her head was lowered as her gaze stuck to the ground, so he could not gauge what her expression looked like.

Soon all voices quickly died down, not at Bluestar’s command, but when they all saw Brindleface, belly round with her WindClan mate’s unborn kits, padding up to the Highrock. Firepaw’s heart sank to the sandy ground as he saw his mentor look up at Bluestar with pure confusion. “All of WindClan… gone?” she asked hoarsely. “Were there… any casualties?”

Bluestar looked at Brindleface with softened eyes. “I do not know the details, but the leader of the patrol does.” She glanced up to the clearing’s edge. “Tigerclaw, if you would come up here and tell the Clan everything you know.”

Tigerclaw straightened, and if Firepaw thought the warrior was able to show any kind of happiness, he would say Tigerclaw’s face had a look of glee to it. He dipped his head briefly. “I would be honored to,” he said, making his way through the crowd. He leaped onto the Highrock like he was meant to be there, standing taller than Bluestar as he looked down at the rest of his Clanmates.

“ThunderClan,” he began, voice booming across the clearing, “as you know, I was the leader of the WindClan patrol. We began shortly after sunrise, and knew something was wrong as soon as we arrived at the border. There was little to no WindClan scent. Instead, it was ShadowClan that we smelled. I made the decision to lead my patrol deeper into the moor to find more information. The further we went, the more evidence there was that WindClan occupied the moor no more. Eventually, we came upon what was left of their camp. There we found the bodies of some senior WindClan warriors, along with a caretaker. We identified Pigeonwing, Wrenflight, Rabbitbelly, and Ryestalk.” He paused to look Brindleface in the eyes. “There was no evidence of any further WindClan death that we found, other than the blood from the battle.”

Brindleface relaxed immensely, but it was clear that her mind was still troubled. As questions began to spark up again, Firepaw watched as Spottedleaf padded to her side and led her gently towards the nursery.

“Did no ShadowClan warrior die?” someone shouted in disbelief above the noise.

“As I said, there was no evidence of any more deaths besides the bodies we found. However, if ShadowClan did indeed chase WindClan out of their territory, then they would have had time to gather their own dead to bury them properly. It was obvious WindClan did not have the same privilege.”

“How long ago did this happen?”

“The bodies were not fresh, and it was no pretty sight. At least a half moon has passed since they died, if not more. We, of course, respectfully buried them outside their camp.”

“What are we going to do about it?”

Tigerclaw opened his mouth to answer, but Bluestar brushed past him to answer for herself, “we can only increase our patrols even more. Camp will have at least two guards on watch all the time. No one goes out unless it’s necessary, and they must be accompanied by at least two cats, one of which must be a warrior. The next Gathering is in a few days, and we will wait to confront ShadowClan there while the peace treaty of the fullmoon is behind us.” She glanced down at Yellow. “But there is something we can do now; get more information. Yellow.”

Yellow flinched, but turned herself around so she was facing the leader. Tigerclaw audibly growled at her, but Bluestar cut him off with a warning glare.

“Thank you for giving us your report, Tigerclaw,” Bluestar said with the faint hint of ice in her voice. “You may return to the clearing now.”

Tigerclaw hesitated for a heartbeat before he nodded and leaped off the Highrock, sulking back to the darker edges of the clearing where he previously sat.

“Yellow,” Bluestar said again, calling all attention back onto the former healer. “It is my understanding that you have been exiled for around a moon. Did you know of this plan?”

Silence filled the clearing for the first time since the meeting started. Yellow shifted and eventually nodded. “Yes, I was aware of it.”

Shouts of anger rose up, but Bluestar hushed them to allow Yellow to continue.

“I knew of Brokentail’s hunger for power, for more territory, for more cats to control. He wishes ShadowClan to take over as the leader of all Clans. I had overheard him talking with his followers about an attack on WindClan, saying that if they did not cooperate, they would run them off the moor and then take their land… and their kits.”

Bluestar’s brow rose. “And why would ShadowClan want more kits? That means more mouths to feed. It would be moons before they were ready to become apprentices.”

Yellow shook her head. “Brokentail wanted the kits because they were the easiest to control. And… he didn’t need to wait for them to become of age.” She paused, visibly swallowing. “Because he was already making underaged kits into apprentices.”


	12. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a small kick to get me writing for NaNoWriMo again, even tho I'm still... more than 10k behind ^^; But, my main goal right now is to just try and beat all my writing buddies, which might be a more reachable goal than completing the whole 50k by the 30th loll.
> 
> Anyway ! Here's chapter 10 ! We're more than halfway through now !!!
> 
> Next chapter's deadline is Friday ! Enjoy ~

Yowls of anger and disbelief rang out, and even Bluestar seemed to be taken aback, her pelt bristling and her eyes wide.

“How old?!” the loudest call cried. “How old are the kits when they are apprenticed?!”

Yellow dipped her head as if in shame. “The youngest, to my knowledge, was three moons,” her loud rasp answered, and even more enraged shouts sounded.

Firepaw, Graypaw, and Ravenpaw crouched low to the ground, pawing at their ears at how loud it was getting. Firepaw’s mind was still trying to wrap itself around what he had just heard. He glanced towards to the nursery, where Frostfur’s kits were trying to look out behind their mother to see what was happening. They were just under three moons old now, but he had a hard time trying to imagine the small, fluffy kits training to become warriors at their age.

He felt sick.

“ _Quiet!_ ” Bluestar shouted, finally getting over her own shock. Her yowl echoed around the camp until the yelling died down into an anxious hum. Knowing this was the quietest it was going to get with such news, she continued, “I know this is upsetting. A kit is supposed to be a kit until they reach six moons of age. Any sooner than that, they are more likely to get injured while training… or worse.” Firepaw heard a muffled cry of distress from the nursery, and knew Frostfur must have been imaging the same thing he had been. “Yellow, you said the reason for your exile was for kit killing, yet you also said that is a false accusation. Knowing what ShadowClan is doing with their kits, how can we believe you hadn’t actually done this crime?”

Firepaw swallowed thickly. It was true that hearing what ShadowClan was doing was very upsetting, but he had heard and seen Yellow give her side of the story. He knew there was no faking the honesty she had shown, but he also knew that he had listened without prejudice; knowing the fact of ShadowClan having driven out WindClan and having kit apprentices soured any words that would come out of Yellow’s mouth before she ever spoke them.

“There were two kits,” Yellow started when she was sure it was quiet enough not to strain her voice. “The warriors who brought them into camp claimed they had been dropped off by a loner, but I could smell the blood on them. They were barely a moon old, but Brokentail wished to test their abilities. He took them out of camp and later came back to fetch me. He told me that they needed help, so I rushed to the training grounds. When I arrived, it was already too late…” Her voice trailed off, but then she firmly shook her head to continue, “even though I knew I couldn’t save them, I still tried to patch up their wounds. That had been a mistake. By trying to heal them, I had gotten my scent all over their bodies. Brokentail saw his opportunity to silence me on the truth of his nine lives. When he brought the kits back, he accused me of killing them in front of the whole camp. And with all of his allies backing him up, there was nothing I could do but accept my mark and get out before they changed their minds and killed me instead.”

Bluestar gazed down at her with sympathy in her eyes. “So, you did not kill those kits?”

“I would never harm a kit,” Yellow strongly declared, firmly returning the gaze. “It is not in my blood to do so, nor is it a part of my code.”

Whispers spread around the clearing, but Bluestar nodded. “Then I believe your story. However, I am unsure if everyone feels the same way. If the majority Clan does not wish you to stay, I will have to respect their wishes and turn you away. Is that understood?”

Yellow’s ear twitched, but she dipped her head in understanding nonetheless.

“Spottedleaf,” Bluestar called. The healer lifted her head up from where she sat next to a still stunned Brindleface. “What is your judgement?”

“I’ve know Yellow since I became a healer apprentice,” her calm voice said, “and I know that when she says she would never harm a kit, she is telling the truth.”

Bluestar nodded. “Thank you. Lionheart,” she called next. The deputy stepped forward from his spot by the Highrock. “What is your judgement?”

“I trust your belief in her,” he said, “and her story does match with what we know. I see no reason to turn her away.”

“Thank you. Sparrowpelt? What do the elders think?”

Sparrowpelt, who had been huddling with the other elders, stood up. “Never in our lifetimes have we seen such acts from any Clan,” he said grimly. “To think that a cat forcibly took power, made kits into apprentices far too early, then falsely exiled a healer… We are appalled. Which is why we wish to grant Yellow safe haven here in ThunderClan.” As he sat back down, White-eye gave him a comforting lick on the cheek, to which he returned with a nuzzle.

Bluestar nodded to him. “Thank you.” She glanced around the clearing. “Speckletail. The queens?”

Speckletail opened her mouth to give her an answer, but Frostfur darted from the nursery entrance to whisper something in her ear. Bluestar waited patiently as they talked it out before Frostfur finally seemed satisfied. Speckletail looked back to Bluestar. “The queens will allow Yellow to stay in ThunderClan, but only on the condition that she be guarded at all times and is never allowed near the nursery. Even if she is being truthful, we wish to err on the safe side.” Her gaze slid over to Yellow. “We hope you understand.”

Yellow stared at her, then to Frostfur, and nodded. “I don’t even wish to see any kits anymore after all this, so I’d be happy to oblige,” she muttered. Firepaw saw Frostfur’s fur bristle, but she did nothing except hustle her kits back inside the nursery.

Bluestar watched them, then nodded herself. “Of course, Speckletail. The queens’ wish shall be applied. Now, is there anyone who, considering the new condition, disagrees with allowing Yellow to stay?”

A heavy silence answered her. Firepaw glanced at Tigerclaw, spotting the warrior glaring up at Bluestar with his yellow eyes slitted. Yet he did not speak up, staying seated if not looking like he would burst in anger while doing it.

“Good,” Bluestar eventually said. “Then it is decided. Yellow.” She looked down to the matty molly, who looked back up at her with an unreadable expression. “You may stay in ThunderClan camp, as long as you remain guarded at all times, and never approach the nursery under any circumstances. Do you accept?”

Yellow dipped her head. “There is nothing I’d be more grateful for,” she responded, though Firepaw noted the hint of wariness that came with it.

“Willowpelt,” Bluestar called. Willowpelt sat straighter in attention. “You will be on the first guard shift. And, as for who will take care of Yellow as she returns to her full strength, that job will belong to Firepaw, as punishment for feeding himself before the Clan earlier today. For the rest of the day, he will give whatever food he would eat to Yellow. Until she has gotten back all of her strength, Firepaw’s training will be on hold.”

Eyes suddenly turned on Firepaw and he felt his ears turn hot. He had almost forgotten that Bluestar was going to announce his punishment; the news of WindClan had practically driven it from his mind. Bowing his head low to the ground, he dared not to look in any direction that had Tigerclaw, Darkstripe, Longtail, Dustpelt, or Sandpaw in it. In fact, he dared not look in _any_ direction whatsoever, even at Graypaw, not wanting to risk seeing disappointment in their expressions.

“As one last announcement before I dismiss this meeting,” Bluestar continued, “a fox was spotted near camp. We suspect this to be the same fox we drove off our territory almost three moons back. Tomorrow, I will send a patrol to chase it off again. For now, be especially vigilant around the nursery in case it tries to sneak in. That is all.”

Bluestar jumped from the Highrock and beckoned Lionheart to her. The two whispered between themselves before entering Bluestar’s den. Willowpelt nudged Yellow to her feet and guided her to the dark empty space between the gorse entrance and the apprentice’s den. It was as far away from the nursery as well as any other den as possible. As he watched her limp away from the Highrock, Firepaw understood that while Bluestar and the rest of the Clan allowed her to stay, she was on thin ice regarding whatever she does.

Yellow eventually made herself what looked to be an uncomfortable nest with whatever moss was lying around, and laid down with her gaze upon every moving cat in the clearing. Willowpelt’s ear twitched as she heard Yellow settle down, and she got into a position close to her, but not so close so that Yellow could lash out if she wanted to.

“I think I should go to Spottedleaf…” Graypaw eventually muttered, breaking the silence between him, Firepaw, and Ravenpaw. “I know she’s going to chew me out for leaving without permission and not coming back with anything, but I have to get it over with sometime. Might as well be now…”

“I’ll come with,” Firepaw immediately offered. “I mean, I have to ask Spottedleaf if I should bring anything for Yellow’s leg, or anything like that.” He glanced at Ravenpaw, who was still quiet. “Do you want to come, too, Ravenpaw?”

Ravenpaw startled, as if he had forgotten he and Graypaw were still there. “Oh, uh, no, sorry. I just… I think I need to process some things, if that’s all right.”

Both Firepaw and Graypaw nodded sympathetically. With so much news in one day, they understood why Ravenpaw would need some time alone.

Ravenpaw gave them thankful smiles before getting to his feet. “Oh, and Firepaw,” he said over his shoulder, “don’t beat yourself up too much about the whole punishment thing. I’m sure Dustpelt and Sandpaw have snuck a few morsels while out hunting by themselves. Everyone makes mistakes, after all.”

“Thank you, Ravenpaw,” Firepaw purred with a big smile.

They both watched Ravenpaw pad to the apprentice’s den, pause at the entrance, shake his head like he was getting rid of bad thoughts, and push his way through the ferns. They were silent for a moment before Graypaw suddenly got to his feet. “Well, might as well go now,” he said, eyes on Spottedleaf, who was sitting by the nursery entrance, “before I chicken out.”

Firepaw snorted, but said nothing as Graypaw led the way to the nursery. Firepaw noticed Graypaw’s hesitant pawsteps and the way his tail kept twitching in suspense. Silently, he brushed his own tail against Graypaw’s flank. The big apprentice glanced at him and gave a small smile as thanks. Slowing for one more deep breathe, Graypaw finally approached Spottedleaf with a dip to his head. Firepaw followed suit with a deeper bow.

“Graypaw,” Spottedleaf drawled as she finished checking whatever it was inside the nursery. “You’ve finally returned from your long trip to the dirtplace. Do you need anything to help regarding that?”

Caught off guard by the question, Firepaw nearly choked on his laughter. Graypaw’s ears flattened to his head as he muttered, “no, Spottedleaf. I was actually… in the forest the whole time.”

“In the forest?” Spottedleaf echoed with sarcasm. “But you know a healer apprentice can’t go without their mentor, or a warrior to accompany them.”

“I know, I know.” Graypaw frowned at the ground. “I just… wanted a bit of a break, and I knew Firepaw was out hunting, so I decided to go find him. And… I _was_ going to bring back herbs! But, ah, I lost them after running into that fox… I’m sorry.”

Spottedleaf looked over him, then smiled. “Your apology has been accepted. In the future, if you want a break, then all you have to do is ask. A healer apprentice’s training is intense learning, so I understand if you wish to focus on something else from time to time.” Graypaw perked up, but Spottedleaf wasn’t done. “But, since you did disobey the rules and put yourself in danger, there _will_ have to be a punishment.” Graypaw deflated again with a heavy sigh. “We’ll have a longer chat about this once we return to the den. For now, Firepaw, is there something you need?”

Firepaw flinched as the attention was shifted to him. “Oh, ah, yes. I just had been noticing Yellow limping, and since I’m supposed to take care of her, I, uhm, wanted to know if I could bring her anything that would help with her leg.”

“Yes, I noticed that as well when she came into camp. It doesn’t appear to be a wound, so it’s probably just stiff from overuse.” Spottedleaf hummed before looking at Graypaw. “What is the herb best for treating stiff joints?”

Graypaw snapped from his lament to full attention. “Stiff joints? That’s…” His ear twitched as he thought. “Marigold?”

“Correct,” Spottedleaf purred. “And what about for any pain she would be having?”

“Poppy seeds,” Graypaw said confidently. To Firepaw, he whispered, “that’s the first thing I learned. It’s the easiest thing to remember, and the most common herb we use.”

Firepaw blinked at the small lesson while Spottedleaf smiled. “Yes, very good, Graypaw. Now, Firepaw, please follow me to the healer’s den so I can get you what you need. You can then bring it over to Yellow, though it would be a great surprise if she took it without complaint. From what I knew of her, she was always so stubborn.”

Getting to her feet, Spottedleaf gestured with her tail for the two apprentices to follow her across the clearing to her den. As they walked away from the nursery, Firepaw found that he had a burning question inside him. “Ah, Spottedleaf?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes?” she called without turning to look at him.

“How… how is Brindleface?” He hadn’t seen her when the meeting had ended, and he assumed she had gone to rest inside of the nursery.

This time, Spottedleaf did pause to glance at him from over her shoulder with a soft gaze. “Brindleface… well, she and Tornear were - _are_ very close. They’ve known each other for many, many moons. It’s a cruel twist of fate for this to happen just as they’ve managed to be expecting kits. For now, she’ll need some time to process everything. But since there’s no evidence that Tornear is anything but alive, my guess is that she will be back to normal soon. Or… as normal as she can be.”

Firepaw swallowed and nodded. “Will… will she still be my mentor? Or is she going to stay in the nursery until she has her kits?”

Before answering, Spottedleaf ducked into her den to retrieve some yellow flower petals, tiny black seeds, and a leaf to carry them in. She quietly instructed Graypaw to chew the petals into a poultice as she answered Firepaw. “Well, for now, your training is suspended until Yellow has recovered, and by the time that happens, Brindleface should be up and about again. If I see no sign of further distress, then I’ll allow her to continue her warrior duties, so, yes, she’ll still be your mentor by the time your training resumes. It’s not yet time for you to have a temporary mentor.”

Relieved, Firepaw nodded. As soon as Graypaw was done with the poultice and he gently placed it on the leaf along with the poppy seeds, Firepaw was up and bowing again. “Thank you, I’ll get these to Yellow right away.”

Watching him carefully pick up the bundle, Graypaw bent his head in Firepaw’s direction and whispered, “good luck.” Firepaw sighed, but knew he would probably need it; he wasn’t looking forward to Yellow’s bad attitude, that was for sure.

Giving a small dip to his head for goodbye, Firepaw slowly walked across the clearing with herbs in mouth. He could see Yellow from her shady corner, Willowpelt still on guard. As he approached, Willowpelt glanced in his direction and gave a sympathetic smile. He nodded to her and slipped past, taking the last few steps that led him right to Yellow. As he gently placed the leaf of herbs down in front of her, Yellow glared up at him. Herbs delivered, he took a small step back to see what her reaction would be.

There was a moment of quiet before Yellow snapped, “what are these?”

Firepaw blinked and frowned. “They’re herbs… What kind of healer doesn’t know what herbs are?”

“Of course I know what herbs are,” Yellow spat. “That’s not what I meant. I meant, what do you think you’re doing giving me these when I’m perfectly fine?”

“But you’re not ‘perfectly fine’...” he muttered. “You’ve been limping since Graypaw and I found you. Spottedleaf noticed, too, and that’s why she sent me to get these for you.”

“Well, my leg is _fine_ , so I don’t need any of these herbs. Take them back to Spottedleaf and tell her to save them for someone who actually needs them.” Yellow shoved the leaf back towards Firepaw with her front paw, tail lashing.

Ear twitching with annoyance, Firepaw pushed the herbs back. “ _Well_ , right now, no one else needs these herbs, so if Spottedleaf took them back, then the poultice would be wasted. Do you want to waste perfectly good herbs, or do you want to suck up your pride and eat them?”

Silence stretched between them as they each glared at the other. Faintly, Firepaw heard Willowpelt shift with unease behind him, but he dared not break his stare; he wasn’t backing down, not by a long shot. The sooner Yellow ate her herbs, the faster she would get better and he would be back to training.

Finally, after a long moment, Yellow looked away first. Her eyes closed as she began to wheeze, and for a moment Firepaw was worried that she was coughing and not getting any air, but then he realized that she wasn’t coughing, she was _laughing_.

“You don’t eat the marigold poultice, you rub it on the place that’s sore.” Yellow took a deep breath to calm her laughter. “Oh… you sure are a feisty one when provoked, kit.”

Ignoring her calling him a kit, he perked up. “Does this mean you’ll take the herbs?”

“I’ll take the poultice, and maybe one poppy seed, but you can take the others back to Spottedleaf. _But_ , since your my official caretaker, you have to rub the poultice on for me.” She sighed heavily. “I’m just _far_ too weak to do it myself, you see.”

Firepaw rolled his eyes. “As long as you take them, then I’m fine with that.”

As he brought the leaf around to her hind leg, Yellow lifted her head to add, “oh, and after you’re done with this, go get me the biggest piece of prey you can find. Maybe if I don’t finish it all, I can convince you to break the rules some more by eating the scraps again.”

“And have another day where I can’t feed myself? No thanks. If you don’t finish it, I’m giving it to the elders.”

“Boring…” she muttered, but still wheezed out another laugh, which slowly turned into a purr as he began to rub the poultice into her joints.

 

 

*

 

It was past sundown when Yellow finally allowed Firepaw to leave her to rest. After she had eaten, she had complained about fleas in her matted pelt, forcing him to crack the lot with his teeth. The rankness of her fur had him gagging, and he was thankful when she had finally put in end to it with her constant yawning.

As Firepaw walked to the apprentice’s den, belly aching with how hungry he was, he noticed with dread that Sandpaw was grooming herself next to the ferns. His hopes of sneaking past her unnoticed were dashed when she looked up as soon as he got within a fox-length of her. A devilish smile covered her face as she taunted, “oh, look who’s coming to get some sleep. It’s the _warrior code breaker_. Have fun not being able to eat while you watched our prisoner gobble up all the prey she wants?’

Before he could speak up to defend himself, a low, deep voice sounded from behind him. “Yellow is not our prisoner, Sandpaw.” Firepaw spun around to see Lionheart looking at her with a disapproving frown. “We are giving her shelter because she has been wronged by someone who shouldn’t even have the power to exile her. She deserves our respect, especially as a former healer. Do you understand?”

Sandpaw flinched and bowed her head. “...Yes, father,” she muttered.

“You’ll be a warrior soon,” Lionheart continued, “I expect you to act like it.”

“Yes, father…”

He glanced her over before seeming to accept that she got the point. Nodding, he bid them both goodnight and padded over to the warrior’s den.

Sandpaw watched him go, then turned to glare at Firepaw. “I’m looking forward to the day where I won’t have to share a den with you,” she spat before slipping through the ferns to her nest.

For a few moments after, Firepaw just stood there, listening to the camp slowly settle down for the night. It was with a sigh that he finally entered the den himself. Everyone was asleep - or at least pretending to be - as he crept over to his soft nest, snuggling in with his pelt pressed to Graypaw’s.

His denmate’s snoring was what finally lulled him to sleep.

 

 

*

 

Firepaw was the first in the den to wake on the third day of taking care of Yellow. He sat up and stretched, nudging Graypaw awake in the process.

“Huh?” Graypaw sputtered, sitting up while still half asleep.

“It’s almost time for training,” Firepaw said, giving him another nudge to get him standing. “Didn’t you say Spottedleaf was going to take you out to collect herbs before the dew dries?”

Graypaw immediately brightened. “Oh, yeah! I _love_ it when she takes the lessons outside camp. Getting to go out in the forest everyday is among the top things I miss about being a warrior apprentice.” Before Firepaw could respond to that, he was already up and dashing out through the ferns. “Have fun with Yellow today!” he called out before his tail disappeared into camp.

Firepaw rolled his eyes with a huff, turning to Ravenpaw’s sleeping form. “Hey,” he whispered, gently poking the black apprentice’s flank, “it’s time to get up, Ravenpaw.”

As soon as he was touched, Ravenpaw jolted awake with an alarmed squeak. This garnered some mean laughter from Sandpaw, who was grooming her fur in her nest. Firepaw sent a quick glare her way before bringing his attention back to Ravenpaw.

“Hey, are you okay? It’s just me. I didn’t mean to startle you. Training is gonna begin soon.”

“Oh,” Ravenpaw murmured, slowly getting to his feet. “Right, sorry.”

Firepaw frowned. “Tigerclaw’s taking you out hunting today, isn’t he? Don’t you love hunting?”

“No, yeah, I do,” he said softly, twisting himself to groom at a stray piece of fur.

“Then… shouldn’t you be excited?”

Ravenpaw slowed his grooming to a stop, but said nothing, sighing quietly instead. There seemed to be a heaviness to his shoulders, but Firepaw couldn’t for the life of him figure out why. Perhaps he was training too much, as he was tiring of it? It seemed that he was less enthused to be going out training as the days went by, but this was the first time he wasn’t the least bit interested in hunting.

“Hunting is boring,” Sandpaw quipped, standing to stretch out her forelimbs. “Goldenflower is going to help me hone in my battle moves today. Come next battle, _I’ll_ be the star, and Bluestar will _have_ to make me a warrior then instead of having me wait until my assessment.” Her eyes sparkled. “Maybe I’ll get to go with the patrol that helps kick Brokentail out of ShadowClan. Then even _ShadowClan_ will see how great I am.”

“You shouldn’t wish for a battle,” Firepaw muttered. “Lots of cats will get hurt if we attack ShadowClan. Some might even die.”

“Whatever,” she huffed. “It’s going to happen sooner or later. We can’t just let Brokentail do what he wants, especially after hearing about what he’s doing right now. And _when_ the attack does happen, _I’m_ going to be there, leading the patrol.”

“Sure,” Firepaw sighed, dropping the conversation before he got a headache. He looked back to Ravenpaw, who was already getting up to leave. “Hey, I’ll come walk with you until the Sandy Hollow; I still have to catch Yellow’s breakfast.”

Ravenpaw gave him a small smile. “Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said as they walked out of the ferns together. Firepaw smiled as soon as they entered the open clearing. It was a warm, greenleaf morning, the sky clear of any clouds. The camp was slowly stirring awake, a dawn patrol consisting of Willowpelt, Mousefur, Darkstripe, and Dustpelt preparing to leave by the gorse tunnel. As they walked past them, both Darkstripe and Dustpelt gave Firepaw dirty looks, which had been happening with more frequency ever since his training had been put off. He ignored them as well as he could as he followed Ravenpaw out into the forest.

“Bullies…” Ravenpaw muttered, ear twitching.

“It’s fine,” Firepaw murmured. “Besides Sandpaw, they only glare at me, and I can take a few glares. Have been since I came here.”

“Yeah, but still… you shouldn’t have to deal with that, especially since you’ve been here for almost three moons now. You’re practically halfway done with your apprenticeship already!”

Firepaw smiled. “You’re right. But as long as I have you and Graypaw on my side, they won’t bother me one bit. Thanks for defending me.” He gently knocked the small apprentice’s side with his own.

Ravenpaw ducked his head. “It’s not like I could actually stand up to them… I’m too much of a coward to do that.”

“Hey,” he said softly, but sharply. “You’re one of the bravest cats I know. Sure, you may not show your braveness in ways others may expect, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have any. Don’t let any of them - especially Tigerclaw - call you a coward. He may be your mentor, but he’s a pain in the tail. Even I can see he’s wearing you thin with his training.”

Ravenpaw suddenly grew quiet again, looking anywhere but in Firepaw’s direction. Firepaw frowned, but didn’t force him to continue the chat. It wasn’t long before they reached the Sandy Hollow where Ravenpaw said a soft goodbye before dashing through the bushes and into the small clearing. Firepaw watched him go, then shook his head. If Ravenpaw didn’t want to talk about it, then he wasn’t going to make him.

And right now, he had prey to catch.


	13. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially on Thanksgiving break now, which means a lot more time to write and edit !! Maybe I'll actually be able to finally catch up on NaNoWriMo loll.
> 
> Next chapter deadline is Tuesday ! Enjoy ~

“Here,” Firepaw said, placing down a plump mouse and chaffinch by Yellow’s feet. “Breakfast.”

Yellow’s bright orange eyes twinkled. “Ah, nothing better than a freshly caught batch of prey in the morning. Thanks, kit.”

“The name’s Firepaw,” he muttered under his breath as he watched her dig in. He heard the quiet laughter of a purr from behind him and turned around to see Whitestorm, Yellow’s guard for the day, smiling at him in amusement. Huffing, he looked back to Yellow. “Is there anything else you need this morning that I can get for you?” he asked with a monotone voice.

“No, but stick around; I’ll think of something while I eat this,” she answered with a mouth full of mouse. 

With a heavy sigh, he settled down into the dirt, knowing Yellow liked to take her time with her meals. As he tried to tune out her loud eating, he scanned the clearing from the dark edge they sat at and spotted very little activity.

Ever since Bluestar announced that ShadowClan had driven out WindClan, everyone was on high alert. Many of the warriors were out on border patrols, specifically ShadowClan border patrols. Apprentices (save for him, of course) were training harder and more frequently to prepare for anything that may happen. Everyone else was busy helping build the camp’s defenses, but at this point, it seemed too early to restart those chores. 

Instead, the only thing that caught Firepaw’s eye in the clearing was a couple of tussling kits play fighting over by the nursery. He recognized Swiftkit and Thornkit, and he figured the rest of Frostfur’s kits were either still sleeping or too tired to join in on the fun. He smiled as they tumbled with each other, their voices echoing throughout the mostly empty camp.

“You won’t get away with what you’ve done, Brokenstar!” cried Thornkit. His spiky fur and the fact that he stood on a small stone made him look far bigger than he actually was as he stared down Swiftkit. “ThunderClan will stop you and your crimes!”

“I’d like to see you try!” Swiftkit laughed evilly. Firepaw noted that the small kit had grown livelier now that Frostfur’s kits were old enough to freely play with him. It was rare to see him cowering behind Speckletail like he used to, instead preferring to sit by either Thornkit or Brightkit when something stressful was occurring. 

Thornkit growled, crouching low before leaping onto Swiftkit’s back with a battle cry. Swiftkit pretended to yowl with pain, staggering further into the clearing as Thornkit clung to his back. 

It was then that Firepaw remembered that the kits were playing no game, that the both of them would probably be apprentices learning how to fight for real if they were in ShadowClan. His enjoyment from watching them play turned to a sour taste in the back of his throat, and he shifted uncomfortably.

Just as he began to wonder where either Speckletail or Frostfur were, Swiftkit stumbled over a stray twig, accidentally throwing Thornkit off of his back…

… and straight into Yellow’s side.

Yellow was on her feet immediately, spitting at the small kit with her fur - slightly less matted than it had been a few days ago - standing straight in the air. “Run back to the nursery before I have to chase you there, you tiny scrap of overgrown fluff!”

Thornkit was scrambling away and back to the nursery with his tail straight up and twice the size it usually was in a heartbeat. He ran right past Swiftkit, who was frozen halfway from lifting himself off the ground.

“You, too, furball!” Yellow snapped at him, which had him quickly following Thornkit right into the thick bramble bush. 

Speckletail met the two of them at the entrance and hushed them inside while Frostfur exited and angrily glared straight at Yellow with her tail lashing and her hackles raised. “I said I wanted her to keep away from the kits!” she spat.

Whitestorm stood and took a few steps towards the angry queen. “It was the fault of neither Yellow nor the kits,” he said calmly. “Swiftkit tripped and Thornkit accidentally bumped into Yellow. She didn’t approach them, and the kits didn’t approach her.”

“She scared them to death!” Frostfur cried. 

At this point, Whitestorm did glance at Yellow disapprovingly from over his shoulder. “I will admit her way of sending the kits away from her was not without fault, but she  _ did _ send them away rather than keep them near her.”

Frostfur looked over Yellow, who was grooming her fur and pointedly not returning the look. The queen growled quietly, but said nothing more, turning around to comfort the kits that were calling for her.

As soon as she was gone, Whitestorm sighed heavily and gave Yellow another glance. “Bluestar will hear about this once she returns from her patrol,” he said with warning. All Yellow did was grunt back, so he returned to his place as her guard.

Firepaw was silent throughout the whole ordeal and was now watching Yellow with a frown. “You know… you didn’t have to be that mean to them. Just a little push in the right direction would have - ”

“Shut it,” she snapped. “If your going to just sit there then you might as well go get me some mouse bile from Spottedleaf. There are ticks in my skin that won’t come out.”

Startled by the hostile tone, he quickly did as ordered, sprinting away from the dark corner and across the clearing to the healer’s den. He was about to go inside, but stopped himself abruptly, remembering that only healers and their very serious patients were allowed inside. Clearing his throat, he called into the dark cave, “huh… hello?”

Spottedleaf was quick to poke her head out. “Oh, Firepaw. How can I help you?”

“Uh, Yellow says she needs… something for her ticks?” In his hurry to get to her, he had forgotten exactly what he needed to get. His ears felt hot with embarrassment. 

“Mouse bile!” Graypaw exclaimed with vigor, suddenly appearing from behind Spottedleaf. “You want mouse bile.”

“Yes, he needs mouse bile,” Spottedleaf purred with a nod. “Give me a few moments and I’ll get it for you.” She slipped back inside while Graypaw stayed with him. 

“Yellow giving you much trouble?”

Firepaw hummed with a frown. “Swiftkit and Thornkit were playing when they accidentally bumped into her, and she spat at them until they ran back to the nursery. Let’s just say Frostfur was not happy.”

“Ah,” Graypaw said. “Well, on the bright side, she seems in much better shape than when she arrived. I’m sure Bluestar will let you continue training soon enough. I mean, with all this commotion about ShadowClan, it’d be the wise thing to do.”

“Yeah…”

“You’re in luck, Firepaw,” Spottedleaf said as she emerged from her cave. Her voice was muffled, and it wasn’t hard to see why. In between her teeth she held a thin stick, and at the end of it had a foul smelling moss ball. “We just came back from collecting fresh herbs, so this batch of mouse bile is very fresh.”

“Careful not to get it in your mouth,” Graypaw warned. He shivered with disgust. “The taste’ll get stuck in there for the rest of the day…”

Spottedleaf purred out a laugh as she gently set the twig down in front of Firepaw. “Yes, it will, so make sure you wash your paws after you’ve gotten rid of those ticks.”

Firepaw politely dipped his head. “Thank you.” As carefully as he could, he bent down to grip the end of the twig between his teeth just as Spottedleaf had, lifting both it and the mouse bile soaked moss ball into the air. He wrinkled his nose as the scent hit him fully; there was no escaping it when it was directly in front of his nose. Not daring to do another dip of his head in fear of dropping the ball and hoping that Spottedleaf would forgive the slight infringement of social cues, he quickly turned around and headed back to Yellow with his breath held. 

Yellow hardly even looked at him, much less spoke to him as he applied the bile to her fur. That was fine with him, as it meant he wouldn’t have to open his mouth and inhale more of the stench, but some part of him did miss the small amount of bantering they used to do as Firepaw cleaned her up. As soon as he was done, she dismissed him with nothing more than a flick of her tail. Huffing, he left without a word, heading towards the gorse entrance with a plan to wash off his stinking feet.

As he approached the entrance, he spotted the two guards, Runningfoot and Longtail. The latter stood and blocked his way out. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked lowly.

Firepaw lifted his front paw. “I’m covered in mouse bile. If you don’t want the whole camp smelling like it, then you’d let me go wash it all off.”

Both Longtail and Runningfoot recoiled as the scent finally hit them. “All right…” Longtail muttered, stepping back to his previous position. “But be quick about it, and don’t go too far off. You know you’re not supposed to be in the forest by yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, mostly to himself, as he passed them both and squeezed through the tunnel. It was tighter than usual since the elders had been focusing on making sure only one cat at a time could get through in case an attack on camp was imminent. 

As soon as he entered the forest, he took a deep breath in, enjoying the fresh, warm scents that flooded him. He missed training with Brindleface with almost every fiber of his being, but he knew he still had to wait. Even when Bluestar clears him for training, if he would really begin right away would depend on how Brindleface was doing. He had spotted her around camp some days, but he hadn’t approached her because he wanted to give her space and because he hadn’t received his lecture from her yet. As much as he missed training and Brindleface, her lecture was the one thing he was  _ not _ looking forward to, and he thought that the longer it took for her to get around to it, the less harsh it would be. So, he didn’t exactly know how she was doing, but he promised himself not to get too impatient; she had only recently found out her mate was missing, after all.

It didn’t take long for Firepaw to find the small stream that eventually leaked into the river. The water was a nice temperature, so he relaxed with a satisfied sigh as his feet were being washed by the gentle current. But, as much as he wanted to stay an extra moment or two, he knew he had to get back soon, or else Longtail would have his hide. 

So, with a sad sigh, he exited the stream and shook his paws to get rid of the excess water. He was about to turn back to camp when he heard the rustling of a nearby bush and his nose caught a familiar scent.

“Ravenpaw?”

As soon as he said his name, Ravenpaw poked his head out from the bush with a questioning sound, dead crow hanging from his jaws.

“Woah!” Firepaw cried, racing up to inspect it. “Did you catch that?”

Ravenpaw nodded, setting the bird down so he could speak. “Yeah, it was one of the first things I caught today with Tigerclaw. But… it’s nothing special. It was old and slow anyway.”

“Are you kidding me? I have trouble catching  _ any _ bird, and you catch a huge crow?!” Firepaw bent down to sniff it. “It doesn’t even smell that sick. Multiple cats can eat this, that’s how big it is!” He glanced around, ears perked to listen for more movement. “Is Tigerclaw around?”

“No. Once I caught this, he said that he was releasing me to hunt on my own the rest of the day. He went and joined one of the nearby border patrols.”

Firepaw smirked. “I think he was so impressed that you caught this, he decided he didn’t need to teach you anymore. You’re the best hunter in the Clan!”

“I wouldn’t say that…” Ravenpaw muttered, but a small smile played at his lips nonetheless. 

He laughed, bumping his shoulder with his own. “Hey, I’m done with Yellow until the afternoon. Why don’t I join you in catching some stuff? With all the border patrols, there aren’t as many hunting parties. The Clan needs to keep its strength up, right? Especially now. Besides, neither of us are supposed to be alone in the forest, even if Tigerclaw did tell you to solo hunt.”

Ravenpaw’s smile grew steady as he nodded. “Sure, I’d like that.”

“Great! Let’s get going then.”

 

*

 

The Clan was very impressed when the two of them returned that afternoon with all the prey they managed to catch. Firepaw made sure Ravenpaw was carrying his crow, tall and proud, when they first entered through the gorse tunnel so the whole Clan could see his amazing catch. Graypaw was one of the first to spot them and his loud amazement at the bird quickly drew the attention of the rest of the cats in the clearing. It took them three more trips to bring back all the freshkill, and when they were done, Longtail couldn’t even try to berate Firepaw for returning far later than he said he was going to.

Firepaw and Ravenpaw were bathing in the praise (or, Firepaw was and Ravenpaw was trying to look as small as possible) when the small crowd parted to let Lionheart through. He looked to the full freshkill pile and smiled. “Well, it seems that the two of you have been busy today. ThunderClan thanks you. Bluestar has not yet returned, but when she does, I will be sure to tell her of this.” He nodded to the pile. “Go on then. You two deserve your share first for the night.”

They both exchanged gleeful looks before dipping their heads low in thanks, practically dashing to the freshkill pile. Firepaw’s mouth was watering as he nosed around for the best pickings. As soon as they turned around with their food in mouth, they were stopped by a glaring Longtail. “You haven’t been slacking on your duty to Yellow, have you?” he asked with teeth bared. 

Firepaw only glared back, pushing his way past and gesturing for Ravenpaw to follow. Longtail scoffed, but did nothing to stop him, which was what Firepaw thought he was going to do. He had long since learned that Longtail was more of a follower, and he wouldn’t do anything to cause a ruckus on his own.

He and Ravenpaw settled themselves by their usual spot next to the tree stump. Graypaw quickly joined them with his own piece of prey, eyes wide. “You two caught so much prey! I can hardly believe how big the freshkill pile is right now.”

“It was mostly Ravenpaw,” Firepaw said through a full mouth. “When he’s stalking,  _ nothing _ can detect him. I even lost track of him several times!”

“That’s not really true…” Ravenpaw muttered to himself, eyes stuck on his crow. 

“I can believe it! You remember when the three of us had hunting practice together. It always seemed like Ravenpaw had at least one more kill than us  _ combined _ .” Graypaw chuckled, shaking his head at the memories. “Sometimes I wish I could join you two again, but who am I kidding? I couldn’t even catch anything back when I was allowed to.”

Firepaw was about to offer him comfort when a sudden, angry yowl sounded from the dark corner of camp, causing him to flinch. It was then that it hit him. “Ah,” he hissed. “I forgot to bring Yellow her dinner. All the excitement of bringing so much prey back distracted me.” He was about to get up and head back towards the freshkill pile when Graypaw beat him to it.

“I’ll get Yellow her food for you,” he said with a smile.

“What? No, that’s my job. And I’ll probably get chewed out if someone sees anyone besides me taking care of Yellow.”

“Not if no one sees me do it. Besides, you’ve earned yourself a break.” Graypaw smirked before trodding off to the pile. Firepaw opened his mouth to protest some more, but it was already too late; Graypaw was already browsing through the options. The big apprentice glanced around with raised brows before swooping down to grab two plump mice, turning to head towards Yellow’s corner of the camp. He was halfway there with Firepaw thinking he could actually do it (that is, if Yellow doesn’t rat him out first), when out from the entrance entered the last border patrol of the day.

It was just their luck that Tigerclaw was a part of it.

“Hey,” the senior warrior growled, causing Graypaw to freeze in his tracks. “Where do you think you’re going with that?”

Slowly, he turned around with his ears down low. “Uh…”

Tigerclaw glanced towards the dark edge of camp where he had been heading, squinting with a snarl. “You weren’t going to go give those to Yellow, were you? You know that’s Firepaw’s job until Bluestar clears him for training again. He’s not passing off his job to catch a break, is he?” With every sentence, took another step forward. By the last question, he was less than a tail-length away from Graypaw’s muzzle. “Answer me.”

“Tigerclaw,” came a warning call from behind them. Firepaw breathed in a sigh of relief as he spotted Bluestar padding up to the two of them with stern eyes directed towards the warrior. “You should know better than to harass the healer apprentice.”

“But, Bluestar - ”

“No ‘but’s. If Graypaw wishes to deliver Yellow’s food for her tonight, then let him. As for Firepaw, well, I’ve just heard from Lionheart that he may deserve a night off, considering he and your apprentice caught enough food to feed practically the entire Clan.” She nodded towards Yellow. “You may proceed, Graypaw.”

Graypaw could only bow his head and continue his journey as quickly as his feet could carry him. As he left, Firepaw saw Tigerclaw hiss something too quiet for him to catch at Bluestar, to which she replied with a low warning growl. Eventually, he backed off, leaving with a forced dip of the head and a permanent frown on his muzzle. Bluestar’s ear twitched as she watched him leave before turning and walking in a different direction.

It took Firepaw a few moments to realize it was in  _ his _ direction.

As she approached, both he and Ravenpaw scrambled to their feet, heads bowed in a respectful dip. “Firepaw,” she announced, sitting down as the silent signal that the both of them could look back up. This would be one of the first times since he first came to ThunderClan that Bluestar spoke with him directly; as the leader, she was busy with too many tasks to regularly check in with the apprentices. “Lionheart informed me of what you and Ravenpaw did today. I thank the both of you. As a reward, I’ve decided that starting tomorrow, you’ll be allowed to train again, Firepaw. You’ve redeemed yourself, and a quick chat with Spottedleaf told me that Yellow seems to be back to around how she looked like before she was exiled.”

Firepaw perked up. “Does that mean Brindleface is ready to be my mentor again?”

One smile was all it took to lift his spirits. “Spottedleaf told me that she’s been feeling much better today, that she’s even beginning to feel restless being cooped up in the nursery all day. I’m happy to say that, yes, if she’s still feeling up for it tomorrow, she’ll still be your mentor.”

He had to duck his head to try and hide how big the smile on his face became, but he knew it was futile when he saw similar smiles on both Bluestar and Ravenpaw.

“In addition to you continuing your training,” Bluestar continued after a brief pause, “you each will be given an assessment in hunting tomorrow. Firepaw, this will be your midpoint assessment, and Ravenpaw, this is your final assessment in regards to hunting. Given the skills you’ve shown today, I find it suitable to end your hunting training and have the rest of your apprenticeship be dedicated to battle training. That is, if you pass this assessment.”

Ravenpaw was starting to look a little queasy, so Firepaw leaned in close to whisper, “which I’m positive you will.” It didn’t look like it helped much, but he knew it was better than giving him nothing.

Whether or not Bluestar overheard his little confidence booster, she didn’t say. Instead, she nodded at the both of them, stood, and padded away to speak with more cats.

Both Firepaw and Ravenpaw were far too shocked to even talk to each other. It wasn’t until Graypaw came trotting back to them that the silent spell snapped. 

“Gosh, Firepaw, you really have Yellow tied around your tail. I could hardly even get her to eat,” Graypaw groaned. “She kept asking me where you were, and how only you knew exactly what she wanted to eat for dinner, and if you had snuck off to go eat before you were supposed to again. I don’t know how you dealt with her for three whole days.” He flopped down on the ground next to Firepaw, only then realizing the looks on his and Ravenpaw’s face. “Oh, what did I miss?”

“Bluestar said I could go back to training tomorrow!” Firepaw burst out. “And I’m having my midpoint hunting assessment, too!”

Graypaw was back on his feet in an instant. “What?! That’s amazing! Congrats.” He glanced over at Ravenpaw. “And why are you making that weird face over there, huh, Ravenpaw?”

Ravenpaw shook his head, lips drawn tight together. Firepaw’s smile faded when he realized why he was so quiet. “Bluestar said that Ravenpaw’s going to have his final hunting assessment tomorrow and if he passes, then he’s going to spend the rest of his apprenticeship focused on battle training.” He gave Graypaw a long look before whispering, “and you know how much Ravenpaw always hates battle training, especially with Tigerclaw.”

“It’s fine,” Ravenpaw suddenly said, standing quickly. “This was going to happen eventually, so I shouldn’t be upset. I’ll get over it by tomorrow. Goodnight.” Without waiting for either of them to respond, Ravenpaw turned around and entered the apprentice’s den with his head low.

He nearly ran right into Sandpaw, who was exiting the den at the same time. She gave out a surprised hiss and when he didn’t even look up at her, muttered under her breath, “what’s his deal…?” She continue her walk after shaking her head, only barely glancing at Firepaw and Graypaw as she made her way over to where Dustpelt was eating by the warrior’s den.

Firepaw sighed heavily, but decided not to worry about it just then. Ravenpaw would figure it out on his own like he said he was going to, and then things would be back to normal. For now, he was going to bask in the good news of his continued training. 

He hardly slept that night with all the excitement pumping through his veins.


	14. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 12 up n ready for reading ! My two free days of the week are over now, which leaves the rest of the week for pretty much constant family time, so wish me luck loll.
> 
> Next chapter deadline is Sunday ! Enjoy ~

Firepaw was the first to wake again the next day, mostly because the intense humidity was enough to made him feel like he was drowning by simply laying in his nest. As he stretched away the night’s stiffness, he noticed that a light drizzle was coming down outside, and he sighed.

Not good weather for hunting.

It was mostly out of habit that he exited the den and padded straight to where Yellow slept. It was Redtail who had been her night guard, and he smiled kindly at Firepaw as he approached, letting him pass without much fuss. Firepaw had grown to like Redtail very much, as he was a calm and sensible cat you could find yourself talking to without meaning to. That was why, as he passed Redtail, Firepaw murmured his explanation for visiting, “I just wanted to check her moss. Don’t want her complaining too much to Graypaw later because her joints are acting up again.”

Redtail purred out a chuckle, one very similar to Spottedleaf’s, nodding as he shifted back into his guard position. Firepaw figured he was eagerly waiting for the next day’s guard to switch with him; a night spent in the light rain was not a happy night to anyone.

Firepaw made heavy pawsteps to make sure Yellow knew he was coming. Sure enough, she lifted her head to glare at him from her makeshift nest. “What are you doing here?”

“Your nest’s wet, isn’t it?” he asked, nudging the side of it with his paw. As he expected, it came back damp. “I’ll change it out for you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be back to training?” she grumbled, but lifted herself out anyway so he could roll the wet moss away. “You’re free from having to take care of me anymore.”

“Yeah, well, if  _ someone _ doesn't change your nest soon, the whole camp with hear about it. Then the elders will complain about their rest being disturbed and… You get the point.” He stood and nodded towards the fallen tree. “I’ll be back soon.” He was already walking away when he heard the beginnings of Yellow’s protests, but he ignored it as usual. 

As he sniffed around the tree to find some moss that managed to stay dry under the large trunk, he heard from behind him someone exit the elder’s den. Sitting back up and turning towards the elder, he spotted White-eye coming to sit next to him with a friendly smile. “Good morning, Firepaw,” she purred rustily. 

He dipped his head. “Good morning, White-eye.”

She gazed at him, then at the tree trunk, and then over her shoulder at a barely visible grumpy Yellow. “Fetching moss for Yellow? I thought you didn’t have to take care of her anymore.”

“Yeah, well… Everyone’s seen how she can get when something isn’t quite right, and I was up, so I decided to do it myself. Save everyone the displeasure of waking up to her angry yowls.” Deciding she wouldn’t mind if he continued his task, he went back to poking at the visible moss. 

White-eye hummed, but didn’t say anything to that. They were both quiet for a while until she sighed faintly. “You know, I remember when Yellow first became a healer apprentice.”

This caught Firepaw’s attention. “Oh?”

“Yes, it was my first Gathering as a warrior when ShadowClan announced her. She seemed grumpy then, and she seemed grumpy every other time I saw her. I don’t think there was one instance where I saw her smile.” She chuckled softly. “But… out of all the times I saw her sitting with the other healers, I never got the feeling that there was any kind of malice in her.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “I also remember seeing Brokentail at a few Gatherings before I retired. He never stopped politely smiling when someone older than him was speaking.” She shook her head. “I always avoided him and his group. It’s good to know my gut feeling was right.”

Firepaw was unsure of what to say, so he didn’t try to say anything. He just nodded mutely and went back to work.

It wasn’t long before he found a large enough piece that - while not completely dry - wasn’t nearly as damp as what Yellow previously had. Gathering it all up in a ball, he picked it up with his mouth and dipped his head low in White-eye’s direction before trotting back across the clearing. He felt White-eye’s gaze on his back as he left.

Yellow was grumpier than ever when he returned, but didn’t complain when he set the fresh batch of moss down in front of her, which he took as a thank you. “Well, now that you’ve done that,” she grumbled, shifting to get more comfortable in her new nest, “you should get going. You’ve got a hunting assessment today, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, though in all honesty he was trying not to think about it too hard in case he started to get too nervous for it.

“If you catch half as many prey as you did yesterday, you’ll pass.” She lifted a paw to lick at, but paused to stare at him. “What are you waiting for then? Go ace it, kit.” She shooed him with her paw before using it to help groom behind her ears.

A warm feeling spread from his chest as he nodded and turned away, smile semi hidden as he looked to the ground. As he passed Redtail on his way to the gorse tunnel, he heard him whisper, “good luck. You’ll do great.”

This time, he didn’t even try to hide his smile. Lifting his head high, he padded through the middle of the clearing over to where he saw Ravenpaw nervously waiting by the freshkill pile. “Ready?” he asked once he approached.   
  
“As I’ll ever be,” Ravenpaw answered in a mutter, leading the way out and into the forest. 

The night camp guards - Whitestorm and Willowpelt - nodded at them as they went, small smiles of encouragement on both their faces. Firepaw nodded back to them, his paws tingling as his sides squeezed through the tight tunnel. 

Their short journey to the Sandy Hollow was silent as they both thought over what was going to happen.  _ This is it _ , Firepaw thought, swallowing thickly.  _ My first test as a Clan cat to prove that I really do belong here. I may not be close to becoming a warrior yet, but if I don’t pass it, then it’ll take far longer for me to get there. So, I have to do my best! _

The two of them paused briefly when they came upon the bushes that marked the outer rim of the sandy clearing to glance at each other. They each took a collective breath, and pushed past the leaves and branches to enter the hollow. 

“Ravenpaw,” Tigerclaw immediately announced as soon as they became visible. He sat tall and expressionless in the middle of the clearing, which Firepaw thought to be strange, considering this could be his apprentice’s final test for hunting. 

The small black apprentice flinched as his name was called, gave Firepaw one last look, then darted over to Tigerclaw’s side. Firepaw watched him go with mild worry, but he knew he couldn’t think too much of his friend at the moment as his gaze slid over to Brindleface waiting a few fox-lengths away from Tigerclaw.

Brindleface looked far more tired than he had ever seen her. It was obvious her pelt had only just been given a quick groom with all the parts of it that still stuck straight up from sleeping. Her eyes had a strained look to them like she hadn’t had a good night's rest in a while. Her belly was as round as ever, perhaps even bigger, with the growing kits inside. Her smile when their eyes met was small, but genuine. 

Firepaw swallowed thickly as he padded over to her, his ears threatening to pin to the back of his head as he thought of all the ways she could chew him out for breaking the warrior code. But when he sat in front of her, all she said was, “I’m glad you’re punishment is over and we can finally get back to training.”

Blinking in surprise, he lifted his head higher in confusion. “Yeah… I’m glad, too,” he murmured, unsure where she was heading but also meaning what he was saying. 

She nodded. “We’ll have to see what a couple days of not training have done with this assessment, but I’m not worried about you being set that far behind.” Her smile grew as she continued, “I, after all, heard about all the prey you and Ravenpaw caught yesterday.”

“Yeah…” he trailed off.

Brindleface frowned. “What is it? Are… you actually not happy to continue training?”

“No, no!” he was quick to reassure. “I just…” His head lowered and his ear twitched. “Ah… I just was expecting you to give me a lecture on why eating before the Clan was bad to make sure I didn’t do it again…”

She blinked at him, then blinked again. Finally, the quietness around them broke with her soft chuckle. “Ah, so that’s it, huh? Well, rest assured, I’m not going to be chewing your ears out about it. I figured being around Yellow and confined to camp for three whole days was enough of a punishment. You’ve learned your lesson.” 

Slowly, Firepaw sat back up. “Really?”

“Really. You may have made the mistake of breaking the code, but as I have always believed, to make a mistake is to learn, and to learn is to become better. Now that you’ve learned through your mistake, you’ll be able to become a better warrior. Of that, I am certain.” She leaned down to gently touch his forehead with her nose, affection in her gaze.

Firepaw didn’t quite know what to say to that, so all he did was nod solemnly, eyes sparkling. It was once the moment passed that he eventually asked her quietly, “are… are you all right? I know your mate was -  _ is _ \- ”

Before he could continue, Brindleface shook her head to quiet him. “I’m all right now, Firepaw. It was… rough, to say the least, when I learned what had happened to WindClan. I’ll admit to shutting myself away for most of the time you were acting out your punishment, and I’m sorry for not having that talk about mistakes earlier with you.” With a small grunt, she lifted herself to stand in front of him. “But I’m far better now, and the one thing I can think of that would make me feel better is if we started your assessment, yes?”

Firepaw stood with her at attention, nodding seriously. 

“All right, then. Allow me to explain how this works.” She cleared her throat. “This will be a test to determine where you stand in your training for hunting and catching prey. It is a solo assessment, so if you see Ravenpaw, or Tigerclaw, or anyone else on patrol, you must leave them be and go a different way. I will be shadowing you from behind and observing how you go about doing things. You’re to catch as much prey as you can before sunset. Once you’re done, collect all your prey and head back to the Sandy Hollow. Is that understood?”

“Yes!” he said quickly and firmly. 

“Good.” Brindleface glanced over to Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw. It seemed that the two had just gotten done with the explanation, Ravenpaw already dashing away and into the brush. “Tigerclaw and I agreed on the area of territory you two would hunt on. Ravenpaw will take the woods surrounding the Great Sycamore and Snakerocks, while you took the area around Tallpines.” She narrowed her eyes slightly at Tigerclaw as he slowly followed his apprentice. “I thought we should be more far apart to avoid accidentally running into each other, but he insisted that we all stay near this side of the our territory.” With a quick sigh, she shrugged and looked back to Firepaw. “But that’s basically it. Do you have any questions before we begin?”

Firepaw thought through the route he would take to ensure that he would get the most prey and nodded.

“All right. Then you may start when you’re ready.”

As soon as the word ‘start’ escaped her lips, he was already bounding towards Tallpines. The last thing he heard from her before he slipped out into the woods was her soft, quiet chuckle.

 

*

 

It was nearing time for Firepaw to call it quits. The sun was getting low in the sky, and his legs ached from so much walking and crouching. He had caught what he thought was an adequate amount of prey for being by himself. The stash he had buried in a small clearing contained several mice, shrews, and one chaffinch. They were small, but plump things, and he knew that whatever Brindleface thought of his hunting, he had done his best.

But, before he went back and collected his prey to bring back to the Sandy Hollow, he wanted to catch at least two bigger critters than a mouse or shrew. So, he decided to go out from his main zone of hunting and closer to his old house in hopes of finding a squirrel or larger bird to add to his pile.

It seemed that his decision was a correct one when the scent of squirrel entered his nostrils and made his ears perk. He was quick to locate the furry thing, scurrying around in a small patch of moss and twigs.

The way he crouched, keeping his paws light and posture balanced, was almost instinctual at this point. Making sure he was downwind, he zoned in on only the squirrel, and began to make his way towards it. He was almost in pouncing distance when another scent caught his nose that made him pause.

_ What’s that? _ he thought with a small frown. Careful not to lift his head and bring too much attention to him, he sniffed the air again, recognition hitting him with alarm. 

_ It’s a cat! And certainly not from ThunderClan. _

Before he could even begin to think about whether or not to continue to stalk the squirrel or go investigate the scent further, the choice was made for him as sudden noises that sounded like the beginnings of a tussle from beyond the bushes startled the squirrel into darting into the safety of a nearby tree. Silently cursing his luck, he knew he could do nothing but head towards whatever was happening. 

What he saw when he broke through the bushes stopped him cold in his tracks.

“... Smudge?"

It was indeed the plump cat, being pinned down on his back by none other than…

“Ravenpaw?”

The black tom was on top of Smudge, holding the kittypet down with his front paws on his shoulders. But it didn’t seem like either of them were making a move, either to get free or tell the other to get lost. Instead, both toms seemed to be staring at the other in quiet surprise, frozen in their respective spots.

Firepaw frowned and quickly hurried over. “Ravenpaw, hey! It’s fine, you can get off. I know this cat.”

It seemed that being closer while speaking was the trick to get them both to snap out of whatever spell they were under. Ravenpaw physically flinched and was quick to scramble off of Smudge like he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have. Smudge was blinking away whatever emotion was on his face, but made no move to get up from the ground.

“Hey, Smudge,” Firepaw murmured, nudging the black and white tom’s side. “Are you all right?”

“You… know this kittypet?” Ravenpaw finally spoke, voice quiet. His gaze never once left Smudge.

“Yeah, he lived next door to me and my sister,” he answered before nudging Smudge again. “Come on, Smudge. I know you can get up.”

“Rust - … no, Firepaw?” 

“Yeah, it’s me,” he huffed, hiding his pleasure at Smudge instinctively calling him ‘Rusty’. “What are you doing out here?”

Smudge glanced at Ravenpaw, swallowed, then whispered to Firepaw, “it’s been more than a moon and Princess is beginning to worry. And by ‘beginning to worry’, I mean she’s pacing her yard almost all day and night. I have to practically force her to go inside and sleep a little bit by promising her I’d watch out for you if you come. And today she said she couldn’t handle waiting anymore, so she sent me into to find someone to ask about you.”

Firepaw groaned. “That’s a horrible plan…”

“Exactly what I told her! But she’s beyond reason at this point.”

“And what horrible timing…” he muttered, glancing back at Ravenpaw to see him frozen again, green eyes wide. He internally cursed when he realized that Ravenpaw probably heard everything.  _ I’m really going to hear it when we get back to camp _ … “Listen, Smudge, tell Princess that I’m fine, I’ve just been very busy. I still may not be able to visit anytime soon,  _ especially _ with you being here. I mean, both of our mentors are supposed to be watching us right now and they could see you at any - ”

“Well, what do we have here…” the cold drawl of Tigerclaw sounded from behind him and Ravenpaw. All three stiffened as they turned to see the large warrior’s shape emerged from the shadows. “A kittypet on our territory, and two apprentices not yet chasing him off?” He clicked his tongue as he focused his intense glare straight on Smudge. “Seems I’ll have to do it myself.”

“Calm yourself, Tigerclaw,” Brindleface said as she came from the opposite side of his entrance. “He’s a young kittypet. This is probably his first time out in the woods, right?”

Smudge vigorously nodded, every last strand of fur standing on end as his eyes darted from warrior to warrior. 

“Right. So, we should only send him off with a warning. He didn’t know any better, after all.”

“But these two should,” Tigerclaw growled, eyeing Ravenpaw and Firepaw like he could burn through their pelts.

“And I’m sure they have a perfectly good reason as to why they’re simply chatting with this kittypet.” Brindleface leveled a firm glance at Firepaw, who bent his head in shame.  _ Right after we talked about my mistake of breaking the code would make me a better warrior…  _

“I…” Firepaw started, swallowed, and started again, “I was explaining to him why he can’t be here. He… he came because we used to know each other, and he wanted to check in on me, but I was telling him why we… why we can’t be friends anymore.” Avoiding looking at Smudge, he continued, “because I’m a Clan cat now, and he’s a kittypet.”

There was a moment of quiet where Firepaw risked a glance at his old friend. Smudge was looking right at him, amber eyes questioning. He wished there was a way to tell him that he was only saying these things so neither of them would get in too much trouble, but he knew there wasn’t without also tipping off the others. 

Brindleface hummed. “That sounds reasonable enough,” she eventually said. “Now, young kittypet, you best move along back to your Twoleg den, and be sure not to come back into the forest. You may not encounter such friendly cats again.”

Smudge squinted in confusion at the words ‘Twoleg den’, but Firepaw explained to him in a whisper, “go back to your house.” Upon knowing exactly what he was being asked, he nodded frantically and darted away. But just before he disappeared through the brush, he glanced back, not to connect gazes with Firepaw one last time, but with Ravenpaw.

Frowning, Firepaw looked to Ravenpaw to see the other apprentice still frozen, his tail sticking out and fluffed up more than its ever been, a strange emotion Firepaw couldn’t figure out spread across his face.

Before he could ask what that was about, Tigerclaw grunted, “the assessment is over. Go grab all of your prey and we’ll head back to camp. Oh, and Ravenpaw.” He turned around, bent down to grab something off the ground, and tossed it over to where Ravenpaw stood. It was long, scaly, and dead. “You dropped the adder you caught in the bushes over here. If you want to keep that for bragging rights, you have to make sure you actually keep it.”

Firepaw’s eyes widened as far as they’ve ever gone. “You caught a  _ what _ ?!”

Ravenpaw made a strangled, embarrassed noise, picking the snake up and practically running away without saying a word.

Firepaw would say he was surprised, but in all honestly, Ravenpaw reacted how he expected when faced with such awe.

He still vowed to pester him over all the details when they got back to camp.

 

*

 

The attention they got back at camp was equally as great, if not greater than the attention they got the day before because of the long, dead adder hanging from Ravenpaw’s mouth. As soon as they entered the clearing, four kits who had been playing over by the nursery came rushing over with eyes as wide as the moon.

“Woah!” Thornkit, the small tabby that Yellow had snapped at the other day, said in awe, “is that an adder?”

“Did you catch that?” asked a tiny dark gray kit named Cinderkit. 

“Did it bite you?” Swiftkit asked with horror. 

“Can you even eat an adder?” a black and ginger kit named Brightkit asked before taking a cautious sniff of it. She immediately jumped back in disgust, shaking her head and gagging to get rid of the stench. 

“You can’t eat an adder, but you can use it to scare the fur right off someone!” Graypaw announced as he approached them, grin splitting his muzzle. “Wow, Ravenpaw! I knew you were a great hunter, but I didn’t know you were  _ this _ good! There’s no doubt you passed your assessment with a catch like this.”

Ravenpaw took a few tiny steps back from everyone, tail twitching nervously. Firepaw, sensing that he wanted to bolt, tried to step forward and assure him, but he was too late. The black apprentice dashed around the small group and heading straight towards the apprentice’s den, adder still clamped firmly in his mouth. 

Graypaw frowned as he watched him go, ignoring the disappointed groans from the kits about not being able to play with the adder. “He’s more on edge than usual…” he observed, looking back to Firepaw. “Did something happen during his assessment?”

Firepaw’s ear twitched as he remembered  _ exactly _ what happened. “Yeah…” he sighed, edging closer to him so the kits wouldn’t overhear. “A certain black and white pet came into the woods looking for me and found Ravenpaw instead. When I stumbled across them, Ravenpaw had him pinned to the ground. I don’t know what was said between the two, but they both seemed shaken. And, of course, it being an assessment, Tigerclaw and Brindleface showed up as I was talking him back to his house.”

“Ah…” Graypaw hissed softly. “I see… So, I’m guessing a trip to your old stomping grounds is way overdue?”

“Yeah, but now that Tigerclaw’s seen me talking to a pet, he’ll be  _ extra _ suspicious. I think I talked my way out of any punishment, but for now we can’t - ”

“Firepaw.”

Both apprentices flinched as they turned around to see Tigerclaw looming over them both, eyes in slits. 

“Bluestar wishes to see you. She’s in her den.” Not waiting to hear a response, the large warrior turned around and stalked over to the warrior’s den, disappearing under the thick bush. 

Firepaw shared a panicked look with Graypaw, but could do nothing but obey the summons. Taking a deep breath, he slowed padded over to the Highrock where Bluestar’s cave sat. He almost took a step into the darkness when he remembered that no one besides the leader and deputy could enter the leader’s den. Shaking his head, he took his paw back and set it on the ground before straining his neck to call out, “... Bluestar?”

The lichens covering the entrance shifted immediately, and the tall, lithe frame of Bluestar appeared from them. Firepaw instantly had his head bowed, almost to the ground. He heard her huff a small laugh as she spoke, “you may lift your gaze.”

Hesitating only for a heartbeat, he relented and rose his head, though he still kept it at a small angle.

“I’ve been informed that during your hunting assessment, you ran into an old kittypet friend of yours.” Bluestar raised a brow as he flinched under her gaze. “He claimed you were talking to him as if he was still your friend. Is this true?”

Briefly, he considered using the same lie he told Tigerclaw, but knew as soon as the thought crossed his mind that it was a bad idea. So, after swallowing thickly, he opened his mouth to tell the truth, “yes, Bluestar, that’s true.”

Her other brow went to join the first. “Oh? Then should I be worried that you’re thinking of rejoining your kittypet friend back in the Twolegplace?”

“No!” he cried, regretting how loud the response was instantly. “No…” he said, quieter this time. “Bluestar, I may still be friends with Smudge, but I  _ know _ that ThunderClan life is the life for me. As a kittypet, I was constantly restless. The best time of my day was when I went outside and into the forest to explore. Since coming here, I’ve realized that I’ve finally gotten to a point where I’m content with how I spend my days. No longer am I restless. So, please, don’t think that I would turn back to my old life if given the chance, because that would never happen.”

A blanket of silence settled over them as he waited for her response to that. It stretched for so long that he began to shuffle nervously in his spot, nerves practically on fire. Finally, she broke the quiet with a few simple words, “I believe you.”

Instant relief flooded his veins, audibly sighing despite knowing it was probably rude. “Thank you, Bluestar,” he murmured.

She nodded at him. “I may not have believed you, but I talked with Yellow while you were out, and she mentioned how dutiful you were, despite showing the obvious want to get back out and train. When I asked her what she thought about you talking with that kittypet, she told me not to worry, because you were seemed the most loyal out of anyone in ThunderClan that she could see.”

He didn’t know what to say to that, disbelief surely showing on his face as Bluestar smiled down at him.  _ Yellow… saying that about  _ me _?  _ he thought.  _ It must have been raining squirrels for something like that to happen. _

“Now,” Bluestar continued, snapping him out of his small daze, “as for whether or not you passed your assessment…” she trailed off, glancing about the clearing until she spotted who she wanted to see. “Brindleface,” she called out, gesturing with her tail to have her approach. 

Firepaw forced himself to stay still and silent as his mentor came to sit next to him. “You summoned me, Bluestar?”

“Yes, I wished to know what you thought of Firepaw’s performance today.”

There was a brief moment where he thought that Brindleface was going to say that he failed solely because of his encounter with Smudge, but the fear dissipated as she said, “I believe Firepaw met all expectations during his assessment today. Despite not training for the past few days, he displayed the skills one would expect for an apprentice who has been training for three moons now.”

“So, you believed he passed?” Bluestar asked.

“Yes, I do believe he did.”

“Then it’s settled,” she announced, standing to stretch her back limbs. “Firepaw, you and Graypaw will be allowed to go to the Gathering tomorrow.”

Firepaw’s head lifted all the way as he was overcome with shock. “Really?” he asked, breaking out into a huge smile as Bluestar nodded. “Wait, what about Ravenpaw? And Sandpaw?”

“Being so close to her final assessments, Sandpaw will stay behind and help guard camp. As for Ravenpaw, though he did pass his hunting assessment with flying colors, I was informed by Tigerclaw that in regards to battle training, he is behind. In order to catch him up, he will need to train harder, so he will need his rest tomorrow night.”

Although he felt a hint of sadness that Ravenpaw wouldn’t be joining them, elation at the fact it would be his first Gathering and smugness over Sandpaw not getting to go rose in him, and it was all he could do to bow his head and say a heartfelt, “thank you!”

Chuckling, her tail flicked as she told him, “and with that, you’re dismissed. Go on and get something to eat from the freshkill pile and rest. You’ve done well today.”

Not wasting another heartbeat, Firepaw stood, dipped his head in farewell to both Bluestar and Brindleface, then, in his excitement, dashed over to where he had placed all the prey he had caught to pick out the plumpest mouse he could find. As he grabbed his meal and headed over to the tree stump, all he could think about was how sweet of a feeling it would be to see Sandpaw’s face when he announced that he would be going to the Gathering instead of her.


	15. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 is here ! And it's Firepaw's first Gathering !! We'll see how well it goes tho ;>
> 
> Deadline for chapter 14 is Wednesday ! Enjoy ~

“Firepaw, stop shaking,” Graypaw whispered, “you’re gonna start shaking the ground, too.”

“I can’t help it; I’m so excited. Besides… aren’t you shaking, too?”

“N… no.”

“ _Sure._ ”

They were crouched at the very edge of Fourtrees along with the rest of ThunderClan. Below them, Firepaw could smell the scents of both ShadowClan and RiverClan and could see many figures lingering in the wide open clearing. It looked so different from what he remembered last time he came. The sun had not yet gone down that time, and now the grass and trees and Great Rock were bathed with moonlight, casting an eerie glow to it all.

The excitement of everything was making him shift in place, but there was also the feeling of dread. “I… I don’t smell any WindClan cats down there.”

Graypaw paused in his own shifting to sniff the air, lips turning down in a slight frown. “Yeah… neither do I. But, you never know, they still might come!”

“They won’t be coming,” Darkstripe suddenly said from behind them. The two apprentices looked at him with raised brows at the unusual somberness of his tone, his gaze locked onto the cats below them, but his look faraway. “I saw the aftermath of their battle with ShadowClan... there’s no way they’ll be coming to this meeting.”

Graypaw opened his mouth to say something, but Darkstripe was already padding away to join Tigerclaw and Longtail. Graypaw slowly closed his mouth, tail drooping. Firepaw shifted so he was pressed up against him; he knew how much Graypaw wanted his older brother to talk to him, especially now since he was a healer apprentice, but Firepaw also knew Darkstripe would be the hardest cat of the entire Clan to please when it came to Graypaw.

As they sat in silence, the rest of the Clan waiting for Bluestar’s signal, Firepaw couldn’t help but think about Brindleface and how thankful he was that Spottedleaf had convinced her to stay behind and rest. She had wanted to accompany Firepaw on his first Gathering trip, but more than anything, she wanted to see if any WindClan cats would show up at all, particularly her mate, Tornear. Looking at the clearing below and hearing Darkstripe’s words, Firepaw knew that if she had come, all that would have greeted her was more heartbreak.

Graypaw suddenly perked up, gesturing with his tail to the middle of the clearing. “Hey, look! On top of the Great Rock!”

Firepaw squinted, then blinked in surprise once he saw the huge dappled light gray cat sitting atop the Great Rock. The cat looked bigger than any cat he had ever seen before, larger than both Lionheart and Tigerclaw. Even from their distance, he could see the disfigurement of this cat’s jaw, crooked with some teeth and tongue sticking out.

“That _has_ to be Stormstar!” Graypaw whispered excitedly. “When he was a kit, he broke his jaw. It didn’t heal properly, but that didn’t stop him from becoming the fiercest warrior in all of RiverClan. Look how big he is!”

“Then…” he murmured, eyes sliding to the other figure on the Great Rock, “that has to be Brokentail, right?”

Brokentail sat with a slump, his long dark brown tabby fur hanging off of his body in unflattering ways. From his sunken face glared two bright orange eyes that glowed in the dim light. Firepaw could see from where he sat the kink in his tail that had given him his name. Claws glinted on the Great Rock like he was impatient for the Gathering to start.

“So, that’s Yellow’s son, huh?” Firepaw whispered with a twitch to his ears. “They do look pretty similar.”

“I heard he looks more like his father,” Graypaw whispered back. “His fur and size at least. But, yeah, that face is all Yellow’s…”

“Hush, you two,” Mousefur said from their right. “Bluestar is about to give the signal to enter.”

Sure enough, Bluestar stood from her crouched position and lashed her tail back and forth. Almost as one, ThunderClan followed her lead and began dashing down the small hill and spilling into the clearing below. Firepaw couldn’t help but glance at Graypaw as they ran with their Clan and giggle gleefully, the wind blowing through his pelt.

Both ShadowClan and RiverClan paused their conversations to watch as ThunderClan bled into the crowd. Firepaw and Graypaw paused towards the outer rim of the clearing to observe what other cats would do first before they entered the fray. Firepaw noted that, at first, many cats from different Clans avoided each other, choosing to stick with their own Clanmates. He watched Bluestar make her way over to the Great Rock. He expected her to take her place next to Stormstar and Brokentail, but was surprised when she instead veered off towards the RiverClan side, approaching two RiverClan cats, one of which looked eerily similar to Bluestar save for the darker pelt. The ThunderClan leader greeted the dark gray cat first with an affectionate nuzzle, then turned to the dark blue-gray cat and gave them a familiar lick on the forehead.

“Oh!” Graypaw exclaimed, he too watching Bluestar’s interactions. “Those two must be Bluestar’s mate Oakheart and one of their kits! I think that’s Mistyfoot. Stonefur must not have been able to come.”

Firepaw blinked, having forgotten that Bluestar had RiverClan family. Glancing around to the other cats in the clearing, he noticed that they were all finally mingling, though most ShadowClan warriors seemed to want to keep to their own side of the clearing.

“Graypaw,” Spottedleaf called from a few tail-lengths ahead of them. “As a healer apprentice, you must come with me to sit by the other healers!”

“Coming!” he called back before turning to Firepaw. “Want to come with me? RiverClan got a new healer apprentice last moon and I want you to meet her! She should be here.”

“Sure,” Firepaw said with a smile, “lead the way, then.”

Graypaw lifted his head tall and walked ahead of him, navigating his way through the crowd of cats like he knew where he was going, when in actuality he was just following Spottedleaf’s tail (Firepaw didn’t point it out, knowing how much Graypaw liked to be a tour guide). It wasn’t long before they arrived at their destination; the small shadow that spread from the foot of the Great Rock. Already there was Mudfur and a young light gray tabby molly with brilliant green eyes who Firepaw had never seen before.

“Ah, Spottedleaf,” Mudfur greeted with a smile, “it’s good to see you here. And you’ve finally brought your apprentice with you, I see. Along with…” He squinted at Firepaw. “Pardon me, but I don’t seem to recognize you.”

“My name is Firepaw,” he answered with a respectful dip to his head. “I came with Graypaw when it was revealed he would be a healer apprentice.”

Mudfur made a noise of recognition. “That’s right! I knew you looked familiar,” he purred rustily.

Graypaw leaned over to whisper to Firepaw, “Mudfur’s the oldest healer in all the territories, so his memory’s not so good. He’s twice as old as Spottedleaf!”

“My memory may not be the best, but my hearing’s as good as ever, you know,” Mudfur rumbled with a brow raised in disapproval.

Graypaw apologized, but rolled his eyes when the old healer wasn’t looking. “Anyway, Firepaw, you haven’t met her yet, so I’ll introduce you.” He took a few steps forward so he was in between Firepaw and the young tabby. “Firepaw, this is Silverpaw, RiverClan’s healer apprentice! Silverpaw, this is Firepaw.”

Silverpaw smiled with teeth at Firepaw. “I’ve heard so much about you from Graypaw. It’s nice to finally put a face to a name.”

Firepaw blinked, uneasy from her sharp tone of voice, but nodded. “Yeah, nice to meet you.”

“I was getting pretty bored of being the only healer apprentice, so you can imagine how happy I was when I went to the Moonstone with Spottedleaf and Silverpaw was there!” Graypaw chuckled. “We became pretty fast friends.”

“Ah…” Firepaw murmured, brows furrowing as he spotted the hint of a smug look on Silverpaw’s face. “Well, that’s nice.”

Spottedleaf glanced around, frowning. “… Runningnose still isn’t showing up?” she asked quietly.

“Neither has Yellowfang,” Mudfur grumbled, a hint of worry in his raspy mew.

“Yes… neither has Yellowfang,” she murmured to herself.

Firepaw perked his ears in their direction. _Does Spottedleaf not want the other Clans knowing we have Yellow in our camp?_ he thought. After a moment, he shook his head. _Of course she doesn’t! Yellow is an exiled cat accused of killing kits! Even though RiverClan may not know that right now doesn’t mean they would be as sympathetic if they did find out. Plus, who knows what would happen if ShadowClan knew we had her._

“And WindClan has yet to show up! Usually they’re pretty punctual,” Mudfur continued, not noticing the way Firepaw, Spottedleaf, and Graypaw flinched. “What’s going on in the territories these days…”

“Graypaw, Firepaw,” Spottedleaf called, drawing their attention. “The Gathering won’t start for a while yet, and since this is your first time, you both should go on and meet other apprentices or listen to warriors share stories or ask elders about what Clan life was like when they were apprentices. Just make sure you come back here when you hear the leaders call for the meeting to start, Graypaw.”

“Yes, Spottedleaf!” Graypaw cried with excitement, immediately jumping to his paws. “Come on, Firepaw! Let’s go!”

“Mudfur, can I go with them?” Silverpaw asked with a sickly sweet tone.

Mudfur, a little confused on the sudden dismissal of the apprentices, could only nod before Silverpaw was bounding over to Graypaw’s side. “Be sure to come back, though!” he called after them, to which Silverpaw flicked her tail tip in understanding.

“So, where should we go, Graypaw?” Silverpaw purred.

“Uhm…” Graypaw murmured, glancing around the clearing at all the cats. “Ah…”

While Graypaw ‘ _uhm_ ’ed and ‘ _ah_ ’ed, Firepaw couldn’t help but look back at Spottedleaf and Mudfur. _I get not wanting to talk about Yellow, but why would Spottedleaf not want to talk about WindClan? Isn’t that something that should be shared?_

“Oh, there’s a group of apprentices over there!” Graypaw suddenly cried, pointing to some cats who looked their age and were huddled by the edge of the clearing. “Let’s go introduce ourselves.” He and Silverpaw began to pad over, but he stopped once he realized Firepaw wasn’t following. “Firepaw?”

Firepaw blinked and shook his head. “No, yeah, I’m coming!” Sparing once glance back to the two healers, who seemed to be chatting about something trivial, he turned around and caught up with the other two. As he fell in step next to Graypaw, he noticed Silverpaw giving him a strange look over Graypaw’s shoulder, but she had turned her head away before he could get a good glimpse at it. Shrugging, he turned his attention to the group of apprentices they were approaching.

It became obvious as they got closer that these were ShadowClan apprentices going by their scent of the marsh. Firepaw and Graypaw exchanged a nervous look as they realized, but Silverpaw was already calling out a greeting to them.

There were four of them, and all four looked up as the three of them settled down beside them. There seemed to be two sets, one looking around Ravenpaw’s age while the other were a bit smaller than Silverpaw. Except, as Firepaw looked closer, he noticed the brown tabby tom belonging to the older set seemed just as big as Silverpaw despite obviously being the littermate of the gray tabby tom, if their shared eye color and shape was anything to go by. All four of them also looked very skinny, their ribs showing under their pelts, even under their fluff.

“Hello!” Silverpaw chirped. “Mind if we sit with you?”

For a moment, Firepaw really thought they were going to outright reject them, perhaps even run them off for even thinking about joining them, but all they did was glance at each other until the small brown tabby nodded.

“Thank you!” she mewed, wrapping her bushy tail around her paws as she sat. Firepaw and Graypaw followed her lead, murmuring their own thanks. “So, what are all of your names?”

“I’m Littlepaw,” the brown tabby said in a quiet voice. “This is my brother, Wetpaw.” He gently nudged the gray tabby, who nodded silently. Firepaw noticed the two brothers were sitting very close together, like they were nervous, even though when considering their age, Firepaw was sure they had been to a Gathering before.

“I’m Snowpaw,” a white molly purred softly before nodding to the dark brown tom next to her, “and my brother’s name is Ratpaw.”

“We’re Blackfoot’s kits,” Ratpaw said confidently, puffing his chest out like this was something he was regularly praised for.

“... Who’s Blackfoot?” Firepaw asked hesitantly, wondering if he was the only one who didn’t know. But when he saw Graypaw and Silverpaw also look confused, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Ratpaw sputtered, “you… you don’t know who our father is?”

“They are from different Clans,” Littlepaw scolded gently.

“Yeah, but surely they’ve heard about him, at least in stories about all the fights he’s won!”

Firepaw and Graypaw bristled slightly while Silverpaw’s tail lashed. Firepaw wondered if he knew exactly what happened to WindClan and how terrible it truly was. The horrifying thought that this young apprentice was _there_ at the battle crossed his mind, perhaps even helped kill one of the warriors that the patrol had found lying in the middle of WindClan camp. _Had he and his sister been apprenticed early as well?_

Wetpaw grimaced and cuffed Ratpaw across the ears. “Well, they haven’t, so why don’t you point him out in the crowd?”

Sniffing, Ratpaw simply nodded at the older apprentice and - with is tail - pointed to a large white tom with massive black paws. He sat in a tight group of ShadowClan warriors, glaring at anyone who passed them by. “That’s him right there.”

Firepaw knew immediately why someone would brag about being that cat’s kit. Blackfoot was huge, not as big as Stormstar, but definitely on par with Lionheart and Tigerclaw. He also held himself in high regards, if his tall posture and heavy glaring were anything to go by. And, judging by the way other ShadowClan warriors walked around him, avoiding his gaze, he was well respected in his own Clan. “Is he ShadowClan’s deputy?” he asked without thinking.

“He should be!” Ratpaw spat.

Littlepaw gave him a hard look before turning to Firepaw. “The deputy is Rowanberry. She’s over by the Great Rock, right underneath Brokenstar.”

Sure enough, there was a cream and ginger molly sitting slumped on the ground directly beneath where Brokentail sat. Her face was covered in shadows, mostly due to the fact that her face was as flat as Yellow’s.

Firepaw blinked and opened his mouth to ask something, but quickly thought better and closed it. If Spottedleaf didn’t want to reveal that ThunderClan had Yellow, he wasn’t going to mention her at all, even if his curiosity about Rowanberry was burning.

Graypaw leaned over to him, whispering, “Rowanberry was Raggedstar’s deputy before… you know. I heard about her from Whitestorm back when I was training to be a warrior and wanted to memorize the line of succession for each Clan.”

 _So she should be leader now if Brokentail hadn’t forced his way to the top,_ Firepaw thought, nodding to Graypaw in thanks. _But… why would he keep her as deputy? Wouldn’t she be a risk, especially if she really wanted to be leader?_

“Anyway,” Silverpaw drawled, “my name is Silverpaw. I’m RiverClan’s healer apprentice. And this is Graypaw, ThunderClan’s healer apprentice.”

Firepaw’s tail twitched when she didn’t introduce him. “And my name’s Firepaw.”

“He’s just a regular ThunderClan apprentice,” Silverpaw mewed nonchalantly.

He growled at her, but decided it wasn’t worth it to call her out.

“So now that we’ve all been introduced,” she continued, glancing around the clearing, “has anyone else noticed that WindClan _still_ hasn’t shown up yet? And it’s almost time for the Gathering to start! It’s _really_ disrespectful for them to come so late."

Everyone else in the group flinched. Firepaw saw Ratpaw begin to open his mouth to say something, but Snowpaw discreetly kicked him in the leg to shut him up. He glared at his sister, but thankfully said nothing. Graypaw gave Firepaw a questioning look, but he shook his head just enough so it wouldn’t grab any attention. _I’m not sure why… but we can’t speak about what really happened to them,_ he tried to convey with only his eyes. It must have worked, because after a brief moment, Graypaw nodded and stayed silent as well.

Silverpaw frowned at the group when no one spoke up. “I can’t be the only one who’s wondering where they are.”

“No, yeah!” Firepaw quickly said, playing dumb for the ShadowClan apprentices. “I’m wondering that, too! And here I was hoping to see them. You don’t really get to see many WindClan warriors past their border with ThunderClan.”

She gave an almost doubtful look until Graypaw stepped in, following his lead, “me, too. You know how it is, Silverpaw, being a healer apprentice. We can’t go on border patrols, so besides the WindClan healer, we don’t see any other Clan cat outside the Gathering.”

Immediately, Silverpaw smiled widely at him. “I _knew_ I wasn’t the only one,” she purred.

Firepaw frowned, about to say something about her almost completely ignoring him, but a loud and sudden yowl from the Great Rock silenced the whole clearing. Everyone looked up to see Bluestar, Stormstar, and Brokentail staring down and waiting for every cat’s attention.

They were about to start the meeting.

“But WindClan hasn’t shown up!” Silverpaw hissed quietly. “Would they really start without them?” She shook her head, turning to Graypaw. “Come on, we’re supposed to be sitting by Mudfur and Spottedleaf.” As quickly as she came, she left, taking Graypaw with her before anyone could speak up, much less Graypaw himself.

Firepaw was about to follow them, but realized he probably wasn’t allowed to sit with the healers during the actual meeting, and settled back down. Awkwardly, he watched as the ShadowClan apprentices all shared a look and stood, making to leave and join the rest of their Clanmates a few fox-lengths away. As he passed, Littlepaw gave a small smile to Firepaw, which he took to mean, “it was nice to meet you.” And, despite the still present apprehension towards ShadowClan in general, he realized that not all of them were that bad.

Soon, Firepaw was alone in his section of the clearing. Ears pinned to his head, he looked around, wondering where he could go so he wasn’t sitting by himself anymore. He was about to give up until he spotted a familiar dark tortoiseshell figure beckoning him over with his ginger tail. Ever grateful, he bounded over to Redtail and took a spot next to him. A quick look around told him that Smallear and Tigerclaw were nearby and that a few fox-lengths away sat a brown RiverClan tom who looked very agitated.

As everyone in the clearing positioned themselves towards the Great Rock, many cats - all of them RiverClan - began to shout questions to the three Clan leaders.

“Where’s WindClan?!”

“Why are we starting without them?!”

“Why haven’t they arrived yet?!”

Bright orange eyes glinting in the moonlight, Brokentail stood and stepped forward. “Silence!” he yowled. Shocked at his authority, the clearing quieted. Tail lashing, he spoke down at everyone, “I requested the meeting to start. We do not want to lose more moonlight than we already have. If WindClan chooses to show up after we start, then so be it. But for all we know, they may not show up at all, and this night will have gone to waste. Both Bluestar and Stormstar have agreed that this is the right call to make, so be quiet and listen.”

Cats stilled murmured to one another, but no one dared to yell out another question.

Nodding, Brokentail continued, “Stormstar wishes to speak first.” Dipping his head towards the huge dappled light gray tom, he took a step back and seated himself again.

Stormstar returned the nod and replaced Brokentail at the head of the Great Rock. “RiverClan welcomed a new apprentice this last moon. Heavypaw is not here, but his mentor, Oakheart, is.” He gestured down towards Oakheart, who sat next to Lionheart and Rowanberry under the leaders. “I have no doubt RiverClan’s deputy will make him into a great warrior. That is all I wish to report.” He stepped back and seated himself.

“Bluestar?” Brokentail asked calmly. “Would ThunderClan like to speak next?”

She gave him a cool glance. “Yes, ThunderClan would like to speak, Broken _star_.” She practically spat out the word ‘star’ like it was an insult. Firepaw noticed him furrow his brows at her as she took her place on the Great Rock. Speaking to the crowd, Bluestar announced, “we recently chased a fox off of our territory. I advise the other Clans to be on the lookout for it in case it decides to wander into your territory as well.” She gave Brokentail a quick side glance. “That is all for ThunderClan.”

Frowning, Firepaw leaned towards Redtail. “Why isn’t she saying anything about WindClan and Yellow?” he asked in a whisper.

Redtail hummed and whispered back, “I believe Bluestar wishes to see what Brokentail says first before she starts accusing him. If he says anything incriminating, she’ll use that against him to get RiverClan on our side.”

“But what if he says something that makes RiverClan go to his side?”

“He most certainly could do that, which is why this is a bit risky. But I believe in Bluestar’s judgement, and if RiverClan does side with Brokentail even after learning what he’s done, then I don’t believe we would have wanted them on our side anyways.”

Firepaw swallowed thickly and turned his attention back to the Great Rock. Bluestar had just sat back down, gesturing leisurely to Brokentail that it was his turn. Tail lashing as he passed her, Brokentail stood tall and proud at the edge of the Great Rock.

“ShadowClan has three new apprentices; Webpaw, Whitepaw, and Tawnypaw.”

“Tawnypaw…?” Firepaw heard the brown RiverClan tom sitting a few fox-lengths away from him murmur.

“To some of you, these names may sound familiar. But I’ll get to that in a moment.” He paused and raked his gaze across the crowd. “RiverClan… ThunderClan… I am sure you all are wondering why WindClan is not with us tonight.” A wicked smile stretched his face. “That is because ShadowClan drove them out.”

Shocked and angered yowls erupted from ThunderClan and RiverClan cats alike. Even Bluestar blinked at Brokentail’s sudden confession. As the noise in the clearing escalated, eventually it became too much for ShadowClan’s leader, for he threw back his head and gave a caterwaul to silence everyone.

“I hear your questions,” he said as soon as it was quiet enough for him to speak again, “you wish to know why we did it. The truth is that ShadowClan is the largest Clan. It had been for many moons, and will be for many moons to come. This also makes us the strongest Clan. And by being the strongest Clan, we have the power and the _right_ to take whatever we may need. This includes more territory to feed our own.” His bright orange eyes burned as he looked down upon every cat in the clearing. “We tried to make a deal with WindClan after the last Gathering. We told Tallstar to either bow down to ShadowClan and allow us free entry into their territory, or be driven off by force.” His lips curl into a sneer. “I’m sure you all can guess what his choice was.

“So, now I offer the same deal to you, ThunderClan, RiverClan, except I’ll add in the bonus of being allowed to share what once was WindClan territory with us. If you accept, ShadowClan will protect you. If you refuse… well, let’s just say with the kits we took from WindClan’s nursery, ShadowClan has even more strength now.”

Suddenly, the brown RiverClan tom jumped to his feet like he had been struck by lightning. “You sick piece of fox-dung!” he screamed, face blazing.

“Loudbelly!” a pale brown tabby sitting close to him exclaimed.

Seemingly not hearing his Clanmate, Loudbelly continued, his eyes never straying from Brokentail’s smug face. “Tawnykit… Tawnykit was one of the kits you stole?! That’s my daughter! She’s barely four moons old!”

Gasps of shock and distress sounded from the rest of the clearing. Firepaw, eyes wide as the crowd began to rise to their feet in protest, turned to Redtail for how to react, but Redtail’s own amber eyes were wide in shock. Beside Redtail, Smallear was bristling in fury. Firepaw looked over to Tigerclaw who sat on Smallear’s left, but due to the movement of Smallear and Redtail, he could barely make out the senior warrior’s expression.

“ _Silence_ !” Brokentail yowled, pulling himself to his full height to seem even more threatening. This time, however, the crowd did not obey his demand, instead increasing the volume of their yelling and spitting. “ _Silence, I say_!”

It wasn’t until the clearing was suddenly plunged into darkness that everyone silenced themselves. Looking up at the sky, Firepaw saw a lone cloud briefly passing over the fullmoon. A moment later, the cloud had passed and the light returned.

“StarClan has sent us a warning,” Bluestar spoke, stepping up and pushing Brokentail back a step in the process. “They disapprove of us fighting during the truce of a fullmoon. In order to honor this truce, this Gathering must be adjourned before it escalates too far.”

“Then what is ThunderClan and RiverClan’s answer?” Brokentail snapped, tail lashing as he growled at her.

Bluestar side eyed him. “I must speak with all of my Clan about this. You will have your answer by next fullmoon.”

“ShadowClan doesn’t like to wait!” he hissed. “State your decision now, or we will take it as a refusal.”

“Then a refusal it is,” she said, head held high and voice low. Ripples of approval sang out from other ThunderClan cats, and Firepaw saw both Redtail and Smallear nod in support. Tigerclaw, however, showed no outward emotion, his hard yellow gaze stuck on Brokentail.

“Then I’d advise you to guard your borders closely. _Very_ closely.” His large head spun to face Stormstar, who had been very quiet since this whole thing had begun. “RiverClan, what do you say?”

Everyone waited for him to also refuse, but his silence stretched on for so long that murmurs began to sprout up, especially among RiverClan cats. Firepaw watched the RiverClan leader glance towards where the healers sat, then at Loudbelly, who was quietly seething, the pale brown tabby holding him back from doing anything drastic. Finally, Stormstar lifted his head and looked directly at Brokentail. “If I say ‘yes’, you would promise us protection and access to WindClan territory?”

A grin so wide that it seemed to completely split his face bloomed onto Brokentail’s muzzle as the murmurs among the RiverClan cats grew into a frantic hum. “Of course,” he said sweetly.

Visibly taking a deep breath, Stormstar slowly nodded. “Then RiverClan accepts.”

“What?!” Loudbelly spat, tearing himself away from his Clanmate to try and stalk towards his leader. He was quickly stopped by two other RiverClan warriors. “Why?! How could you accept a deal like that from a vile cat like him?! _He has my daughter_!”

Other howls of protest rose from the clearing alongside Loudbelly’s calls. Firepaw could barely hear it when he spotted Oakheart from the base of the Great Rock ask Stormstar, “are you sure…?”

“As leader of RiverClan, I have made my decision,” the large gray tom announced above the noise. “Any RiverClan cats who disagree may say their piece _after_ we arrive back at camp. But for now, yes, RiverClan wishes to take your deal, Brokenstar.”

Grinning with all his teeth, Brokentail nodded. “We’ll discuss the specifics of where we can hunt and where you can later.” Sparing a glance at Bluestar, who looked shell shocked, he continued, “pleasure doing business with you.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Brokentail gave a hard flick of his tail and jumped off the Great Rock. ShadowClan stood as one and quickly followed him out of Fourtrees. As they left, Firepaw spotted Littlepaw walking alongside Wetpaw and managed to catch his eye briefly before they went over the small rise.

Turning his attention back to the Great Rock, Firepaw caught side of Stormstar trying to reach out to Bluestar, but she was quick to dodge him. “ThunderClan!” she called out, giving out the signal to leave with her own tail before jumping down next to Lionheart. Firepaw noticed that she even ignored Oakheart, who stepped forward like he wanted to say something, but wasn’t given the chance.

All of ThunderClan stood, including Firepaw, and filed out behind Bluestar. Unsure of if he was allowed to speak, he stayed quiet as he followed Redtail out of the clearing and over the small hill, back into ThunderClan territory. It wasn’t long before Graypaw found him again and walked by his side.

“So… what now?” he asked Firepaw in a worried whisper.

“I don’t know… Has StarClan sent any signs, or something?” Firepaw asked.

Graypaw shook his head. “Not that I know of, and I don’t think Spottedleaf has had any dreams about this situation, either.”

Mouth coming together in a thin line, Firepaw nodded and the two of them lapsed back into silence for the rest of the way. As they walked on, Firepaw couldn’t help but think that the only thing they did know was that RiverClan was no longer their potential allies.

They were now their enemies.


	16. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 14 ! Here's where thing start to get exciting ;>
> 
> Chapter 15 deadline is Sunday ! Enjoy ~

When they arrived back in camp, it was obvious that many had stayed up to hear about what had happened during the Gathering. Even the kits of Frostfur’s young litter were lying just outside the nursery, yawning and trying to keep their eyes open as Speckletail stood watch over them. As the cats filed back into the clearing, ears perked and cats stood at attention, but those returning were silent with worry. A cloud of dread began to spread over those who stayed back.

Firepaw felt off as he padded into the clearing next to Graypaw. He was caught between being exhausted from interacting with so many cats, to being wide awake with all the turns of events that had occurred.

“Hey,” Ravenpaw greeted in a hush tone, considering the stillness of the rest of the clearing. “What… what happened…?”

“Yeah, what happened that’s making everyone look like they’ve been brought back from StarClan?” Sandpaw quickly added on, approaching them soon after Ravenpaw.

Both Firepaw and Graypaw blinked in surprise at Sandpaw’s tone, which didn’t have its usual sneer in it. Firepaw figured the curiosity was too overwhelming for her to remember they weren’t supposed to like talking to each other.

Graypaw opened his mouth to answer, but a quick call from Spottedleaf interrupted whatever he was about to say. He glanced behind him, saw Spottedleaf’s expression - one Firepaw couldn’t quite read - sent an apologetic glance back at the two older apprentices, and scurried away to her. Sandpaw huffed quietly, then turned her attention on Firepaw, her intense green gaze repeating her question to him without actually speaking.

“Uh - ” he began, but was thankful to spot Bluestar approaching the Highrock; he really didn’t even know where to start. “I think Bluestar is going to explain everything.”

Sandpaw immediately turned around and hurried over to find a good spot below the Highrock along with most of the Clan, even though Bluestar hadn’t called out the summonings yet. Ravenpaw, however, stayed behind with Firepaw. “Is it… bad news?” he asked in a whisper.

Firepaw couldn’t answer him, but he thought his expression told him enough of the answer.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey, join here for a Clan meeting!” Bluestar finally called, drawing both him and Ravenpaw to take a seat amongst the growing crowd.

As everyone was getting seated - it didn’t take long, considering most were already prepared for a meeting in the first place - Firepaw glanced around to see where Graypaw went. He saw Frostfur, who had been at the Gathering, reunite with her kits and lather them in licks that were probably more of a comfort for her and annoying to them, before ushering them inside. He also saw Brindleface outside of the nursery, as well as the clearly displayed disappointment and grief on her brown flecked face; she didn’t need anyone to tell her that WindClan wasn’t there for her to know.

Quickly turning away from the direction of the nursery, he continued his search. His gaze soon fell upon Yellow’s corner of camp, and he spotted her bright orange eyes - the same bright orange color her son possessed - shining out from the shadows. Goldenflower stood guard for her tonight, and she was quickly joined by Tigerclaw. The two whispered between themselves, and Goldenflower seemed to get agitated, if the lashing of her tail was any indicator. Soon, Tigerclaw backed off after saying one final thing, leaving Goldenflower to her duty in peace. Firepaw thought this as odd, since he knew them to be mates - Dustpelt being their son - but he also knew that he rarely saw them together anyways.

Thinking it to be none of his business, he moved on. Finally, as he lifted his head up above the crowd, he spotted Graypaw sitting beside Spottedleaf right next to the Highrock. His friend’s face was even more scrunched up with worry than before, and his big tail twitched nervously around his paws. 

“ThunderClan,” Bluestar announced, causing all cats to go silent, “I’m sure those of you who did not join us are wondering about what happened at this particular Gathering. I’m also sure those who did join us are still trying to grapple with what we heard and saw. To those who don’t know, I will say first that what happened was unexpected and upsetting. Some questions were answered, but we were also left with new questions.” She paused, letting those who hadn’t come prepare themselves. “Here is what happened…”

For once, as Bluestar spoke of the upsetting things that were revealed - about how Brokentail had stolen kits from WindClan after they drove them from their home, and made them into apprentices at far too young an age, and about how he threatened to do the same to ThunderClan and RiverClan if they did not bow down to ShadowClan, and about how RiverClan betrayed their trust by agreeing to his deal - the Clan was silent. No one shouted or yelled. Instead, they only bowed their heads as they tried to process everything.

“And that is what happened,” Bluestar finally finished, leaving a silence so large it seemed to weigh down on Firepaw’s shoulders. 

After a long moment, a voice spoke up, “what does this mean? What do we do now?” A few other voices murmured their shared want to know the answer.

“Brokentail has made it clear that we are ShadowClan’s enemy now,” she answered calmly. “He is sure to try and attack us soon, of that I have no doubt. All we can do is prepare ourselves and the camp for the fight. But in regards to what we should do about him and ShadowClan in general, we are in need of some guidance.” She glanced down towards the healers. “Which is why Spottedleaf and Graypaw will journey to the Moonstone tomorrow and ask StarClan for a vision. They, of course, will not be going alone. Because of Brokentail’s obvious disregard to the warrior code, it is not beneath him to attack a traveling healer and apprentice on their way to speak with StarClan. Which is why I am assigning a patrol to accompany them. This patrol will consist of Goldenflower, her apprentice Sandpaw, and myself.”

Tigerclaw stood up. “And what if ShadowClan attacks and you’re not here?” he asked boldly.

“I have already informed Lionheart to keep as many cats in and around camp as possible while I am away,” Bluestar said cooly, her gaze steady with his. “Even without me here, ThunderClan still has many well trained warriors that can defend camp. And in truth, I do not expect Brokentail to order an attack the day after the Gathering. He wishes to strike when we least expect it, and we would expect him to carry it out as soon as possible. I will admit it is a risk, but it’s one I’m willing to take.”

The senior warrior glanced from her to Lionheart and back to her. Something in his face shifted as he nodded and murmured, “understood,” before sitting back down. 

“Is there anymore questions?” she asked to the rest of the crowd. When no one spoke up, she continued, “then it is settled. Get some rest, and be alert, just in case. May StarClan be on our side.”

 

*

 

Firepaw woke up just in time to see Graypaw exit the apprentice’s den. Though his paws were weighed down heavily by exhaustion, he forced himself up and followed his friend out into camp. “Graypaw, wait,” he called out quietly.

Pausing, Graypaw glanced over his shoulder. “I have to leave soon. The rest of the patrol is already gathering,” he said back in a hushed tone, flicking his tail towards the gorse entrance. Just as he said, Spottedleaf, Bluestar, Goldenflower, and Sandpaw were already sitting beside the tunnel, ready to go as soon as Bluestar gave the signal. 

“I know, but…” He paused, unsure of what he really wanted to say. “Just… be careful, all right? If you come across a ShadowClan patrol, be sure to stick with Spottedleaf and stay out of the way, okay?” He gave a small, strained huff of a laugh. “I don’t want my best friend getting turned into crowfood just yet.”

A reassuring smile crossed Graypaw’s face as he gave him a solid nudge with his shoulder. “Noted. But, you shouldn’t worry so much. Bluestar said she knows a way to Highstones that’ll take us through areas where ShadowClan cats are least likely to be, though it’ll take us longer to get there, which is why we’re leaving so early.” He looked up to glare at the rising sun, as if it personally offended him. 

Firepaw laughed more freely this time. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just… a stressful time right now.”

“You can say that again,” Graypaw sighed. There was a brief moment of quiet between them before he continued, voice taking a more serious tone, “you be careful, too. If ShadowClan does somehow decide to attack while we’re out, you fight like all of StarClan is with you, okay? Can’t complain to crowfood about my head spinning with herbs now, can I?”

“No, you can’t,” he purred, stepping forward to nudge him under the chin with his muzzle. 

“Graypaw!” Spottedleaf called, causing him to pull away from Firepaw. 

Sighing, Graypaw turned back and briefly touched noses with him. “I’ll be back before you know it, and then we’ll have a plan on what to do about ShadowClan.” 

Firepaw nodded and watched him scamper over to the patrol, and out into the forest. He didn’t look away until he heard a wheezy chuckle coming from the shadows. Groaning inwardly, he glanced over at Yellow’s side of the camp to see her looking at him with mirthful eyes. “Someone has a crush,” she croaked between chuckles. 

“I…!” he exclaimed, feeling his ears grow hot. “I do not!”

She hummed, obviously not convinced.

Scrambling, he looked towards Yellow’s guard. “Willowpelt, you believe me, right?”

But Willowpelt only gave him an apologetic smile. “I don’t need perfect vision to see that something’s going on there,” she murmured, causing Yellow to burst into a cackling fit. 

Now feeling his entire pelt grow hot, he huffed and turned back towards the apprentice’s den without another word, ignoring the increase of laughter coming from the old molly. He was about to re-enter the ferns with the intention of getting some extra rest, but he caught sight of Brindleface exiting the nursery a few fox-lengths away. When he caught her eye, she gestured for him to approach her. Suddenly wide awake at the prospect of training, he was eager to obey.

“Firepaw, good morning,” she greeted with a small purr. 

“Good morning,” he said back, before pausing, remembering her face of despair last night when she figured out that WindClan hadn’t appeared at the Gathering. “Are you… all right?”

She smiled at him. “Yes, I think so. I’ve done my mourning, and I’ve come to terms that I may never seen Tornear again. I’ll still hold out some hope, perhaps after Brokentail is finally dealt with WindClan will be able to return.” She cleared her throat. “But I’ve decided instead of cooping myself up in the nursery, I’ll force myself out, get some fresh air, and do some training with you. Sound like a good idea?”

“Yes!” he instantly replied, before another thought entered his mind. “Or… are you allowed to? I know the kits are due soon.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine, as long as I don’t do any strenuous moves.”

“All right… Are we starting now?"

“No, no,” she chuckled. “I see the way you look like you’re about to fall over from exhaustion. Go get some more rest and we’ll start in the afternoon.” At Firepaw’s disappointed face, she laughed. “All right, all right. To make it up to you, I promise to take you out for more training first thing tomorrow morning, and we’ll go for most of the day. How’s that sound?”

“Great!” he purred. 

“Good, now go get that rest. I’ll be waiting over by the camp’s entrance at sunhigh. Join me when you’re ready.”

“Will do!” Spirits having been lifted, he trotted back to the apprentice’s den with his tail held high. He pushed back the ferns and saw the mostly empty nests, the only other apprentice still in camp being a still fast asleep Ravenpaw. Padding over to his own nest, he puffed up the moss so it was extra comfortable before settling back down. 

_ I’ll get as much training as possible in these next few days, so when Graypaw and everyone else comes back safe with a plan, I’ll be ready _ , he thought as his mind drifted back to the land of dreams.  _ I’ll be ready… _

 

*

 

“Again! This time use your hind legs to get more power!”

Firepaw nodded, shaking off the sand from his pelt as he prepared to do the battle move again for the hundredth time in a row. This time, he landed on the soft ground with a solid thump that caused sand and dirt to kick up around his impact point.

“Good! Now try it again until it becomes a reflex."

Both he and Brindleface had been out at the Sandy Hollow practicing Firepaw’s battle training for most of the day. She had kept her promise about taking him out first thing in the morning, and even though he knew his muscles were going to complain about that decision later that night, at the moment it felt good to finally be out and training so hard he had trouble taking in deep breaths. Especially since he knew he would have to use these moves on the ShadowClan enemies who planned on attacking camp sooner or later. It gave him the extra drive he needed to do his very best in perfecting them.

As he continued to repeat the move, Brindleface overseeing a safe distance away due to her close due date, he couldn’t help but think of how lonely it had been sleeping in the apprentice's den without Graypaw’s huge fluffy pelt pressing against his side the whole time. The Moonstone patrol still hadn’t returned yet, and he could feel the worry the Clan had about what this meant when sunrise passed and the group still hadn’t shown up. But Firepaw didn’t worry himself too much about it, mostly because Graypaw had told him the route they were taking was far longer than the usual one, so of course they would later than usual. No, he didn’t sleep well that night because he had missed the very presence of Graypaw, but he figured that he should get used to it, for as soon as Graypaw completed his training as a healer apprentice, he would be permanently moving to the healer’s den and the two of them wouldn’t be able to sleep next to each other again. Sure, Firepaw had Ravenpaw sleeping in the den with him that night as well as grumpy Sandpaw, but no nest was right next to his, so he didn’t get that extra warmth and the solid presence that he was used to, and he thought it too awkward to ask for Ravenpaw to switch nests for only one night.

His thoughts then strayed to the brief conversation he had with Ravenpaw that morning before he left for the Sandy Hollow. He had been wondering why Ravenpaw wasn’t out training with Tigerclaw like he was with Brindleface, and asked him about it when he saw that Ravenpaw was awake.

“I don’t know,” he muttered in response. “I haven’t even  _ seen _ Tigerclaw around camp since Bluestar and the others left for the Moonstone yesterday. But… I make it a point not to question him."

His answer had bothered Firepaw, who knew that Ravenpaw needed extra work done on his battle training. Surely, with the threat of ShadowClan just around the corner, this would be the best time to do it.  _ But if Tigerclaw’s not back at camp, then where is he? He can’t be doing hunting since the freshkill pile isn’t noticeably bigger, but he also shouldn’t be doing any long border patrols, since both Bluestar and Lionheart have forbidden going too far from camp for long periods of time. _

“Firepaw! You’re losing focus,” Brindleface called out, snapping him from his muddled thoughts.

“Sorry!” he called back, preparing to do those moves over again.

“How about we take a break?” she asked, standing up and stretching her limbs with a small groan. “You’ve been at it since around sunrise, and it’s past sunhigh. You need the rest in order to not become sloppy with your moves."

“Okay,” he sighed, easily flopping down onto his belly for a breather, which earned him a chuckle from his mentor. They rested in easy silence for a while until Firepaw eventually broke it with a quiet question, gaze turning towards where camp was. “Do you think they’re back yet?”

Brindleface hummed, also glancing back towards camp. The Sandy Hollow was close enough to camp that they both could hear the faint hustle and bustle going on to make sure the camp was fortified for ShadowClan’s attack. “I don’t think so. If they did return, then we probably would’ve heard about it by now.”

Firepaw glanced up at the sky and at the sun, which was starting to make its way down to the horizon. “But they should’ve been back by now, right?”

“...Yes, but we also don’t know the exact route they’re taking, and they could have rested for the night at Barley’s, if whatever vision they were given wasn’t an urgent one. But, we won’t know for sure until they’ve returned, so all we can do is wait. And while we’re waiting, we can strengthen our skills to make the most out of our time, yes?”

“Yeah…” he replied, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong from his pelt. Nevertheless, he forced himself to continue his training on command, still determined to give it his all.

They continued this way for a while longer until Brindleface told him to a take another break. The sun was now starting to dip down into the trees, and Firepaw was panting so hard he had to bend over to catch his breath. 

“How about we call it for today?” Brindleface asked, getting up and slowly walking over to him. “You’re probably hungry, right?”

“I can go for a little longer,” he insisted, but knew it was futile to argue, seeing as he felt like he could barely walk.

She just shook her head. “We’ll rest here until you’ve gotten your breath back, then we’ll head back into camp. Sound good?”

“All right,” he ceded, settling down on the ground with a sigh of relief for his aching muscles. Brindleface purred a laugh and settled down beside them, moving so that she was in the best position to start grooming his fur of all the dust and sand that had accumulated since beginning training. Firepaw gladly accepting the grooming and wasn’t ashamed to feel like a kit again when she started getting behind his ears.

It was about when Firepaw was rested up and ready to leave when Brindleface stopped and lifted her head, tilting it to the side as she listened to something. Firepaw was about to ask her what was wrong when he heard it as well.

_ Incoming cats! _

Immediately they were both on their feet facing the bushes where the rustling sound of a patrol was coming from. Firepaw scented the air, but he already knew who was going to appear before they emerged.

“Graypaw!” he cried with immense relief as he saw his big dark gray friend enter the Sandy Hollow along with the rest of the Moonstone patrol. More relief filled his veins when he saw that there looked to be no major injuries anywhere on Graypaw. Save for his grim expression, he looked perfectly fine. “I’m so glad you’re…” his voice trailed away as his gaze slid over to the rest of the patrol and took in the sight of Bluestar, covered in blood, leaning heavily against Goldenflower’s flank. Both Goldenflower and Sandpaw also had injuries, but theirs was nothing compared to what Bluestar had.

Brindleface, face horror stricken, took an unsure step forward. “What happened? Was it ShadowClan?”

“No, it was - ” Sandpaw tried to explain, but was cut off as Bluestar tried to right herself and failed.

“There’s no time for that,” the leader snapped. “What’s the current condition of camp?”

“Camp?” Brindleface murmured, looking behind her shoulder as she continued, “as far as we know, everything’s - ” She - along with everyone else in the clearing - suddenly froze as the sound of a battle cry yowled from the direction of camp, followed by the unmistakable noises of fighting.

“We’re too late!” Bluestar cried. She tried to right herself a second time, managing to stand on her own. “Goldenflower, Sandpaw, Firepaw! You three get to camp  _ now _ !”

“I’ll go, too - ” Brindleface tried to say before her path back towards camp was blocked by Spottedleaf. 

“You’re not even supposed to be out of camp right now,” the healer said, eyes disapproving. “You’ll stay and help us care of Bluestar.”

Brindleface looked conflicted, but one glance over at Bluestar, who looked like a small breeze could knock her down, and she was nodding.

Firepaw watched as Goldenflower and Sandpaw immediately jumped to follow Bluestar’s orders, racing past him and towards camp. He was about to follow, but couldn’t help but spare one glance back at Graypaw. He caught his eye, and Graypaw stared him down, eyes questioning. Swallowing, he nodded firmly.

_ Our promise still stands _ .

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, Graypaw nodded back and turned to join Bluestar’s side along with Spottedleaf. 

No longer hesitating, Firepaw spun around and raced through the underbrush. As he ran, he couldn’t help but think that this was his first real fight.  _ No sheathed claws… No calling time out when you need a break… Some of these cats might even try to kill me. _ He shivered at the prospect, but shook it off and continued forward. This was no time for such thoughts. The only things he should think about were his own survival and the safety of his Clanmates.

It wasn’t long before he burst into camp and saw what was happening for himself, the scent of ShadowClan filling his nose. He first spotted Frostfur fighting in the middle of the clearing against a large gray tom, Goldenflower helping her out by distracting him with quick swipes. A few tail-lengths away was Redtail facing off against a young black ShadowClan warrior, easily overpowering and sending him back where he came from with small nips at his heels. Over by the elder’s den was White-eye, Speckletail, Dappletail, and Patchpelt teaming together to drive away a tortoiseshell molly while Sparrowpelt and Smallear, the oldest elders, huddled within the fallen tree’s hollow trunk.

Firepaw’s survey of the camp was interrupted as a light brown tabby entered his view, her scent obviously ShadowClan. Growling, he threw himself at her, biting down on her leg as hard as he could. He heard her yowl before she kicked him away from her. Spinning back around, he wasted no time in leaping back onto her, digging his claws into her shoulders and leaning down to give a harsh bite to her back. Screeching, she shook him off vigorously, but instead of continuing the fight, spat in his direction before running back through the gorse entrance and presumably back to ShadowClan’s camp.

He had no time to celebrate his first victory, however, as he was bowled over by another cat. Hissing, he tussled for control in their roll, but ultimately lost as the other cat managed to pin him down on his back, their back claws readying to slice into his exposed belly.

Firepaw was getting ready to do a counter move that would hopefully release him when he looked up at the cat properly, their scent momentarily distracting him when he smelled something familiar about him. It only took him a moment then to recognize the brown tabby pelt and light blue eyes.

_ Littlepaw! _

He was stunned still for a solid moment as the realization hit him, but it also seemed that Littlepaw was distracted as well, his eyes growing wide and his grip loosening. 

Seeing his chance, Firepaw was the first to snap out of his stupor, pushing on Littlepaw’s stomach with all the strength in his hind legs to force him off. Littlepaw fell away easily, landing on the ground with an audible huff. Firepaw scrambled to his feet and glared him down, but did not make another move to attack.

_ I don’t want to fight you… so don’t make me! _

Littlepaw slowly got to his own feet and met Firepaw’s gaze head on. A heartbeat of stillness passed between them before Littlepaw turned around and sprinted towards the camp entrance, ears pinned low to his head. 

Firepaw watched him go with a quiet sigh, relaxing a bit until he realized that the battle was not yet over. A startled cry from the direction of the nursery caught his ear, and he turned just in time to see a large white tom with huge black paws pounce on Rosetail, who was guarding the nursery.

_ Blackfoot _ , he realized, remembering Ratpaw pointing him out with pride at the Gathering. 

Rosetail hissed and spat as Blackfoot managed to grab and drag her away from the nursery. One big black foot on the back of her head and another in the middle of her back, Firepaw watched in absolute horror as he drew his head back, mouth open and teeth glinting.

“No!” he cried, feet already moving towards them, but it was too late. Blackfoot’s jaws clamped around the back of Rosetail’s neck with a snap that Firepaw could hear a fox-length away, and her struggling body stilled. “ _ Rosetail _ !” 

Blackfoot released her neck, her head falling to the ground with a thump, and turned towards the now unguarded nursery. Firepaw pushed away his horror and grief to focus on getting to the large ShadowClan warrior as fast as possible before he took the kits. However, just before he was within pouncing distance, a gray and brown molly tackled him to the ground.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” she laughed into his ear as he tried to get out from under her, but failing due to her expert hold. He struggled some more, but the molly placed her hind claws onto his belly in the same threat Littlepaw had given, but this time, she delivered. Firepaw howled in pain as he felt her sharp claws rake across his lower belly. 

Not knowing what else to do, he stopped fighting against her, letting his body go as limp as he could make it. She smirked down at him, thinking she had the win as she loosened her grip just a bit, opening her jaws for a killing blow Firepaw wasn’t going to let land.

He still had a promise to keep.

As soon as the molly’s grip loosened, he reached up, grabbed the side of her flank with his paw, and twisted so that they both went rolling. Startled, the molly let go of him and tumbled off to the side. He was quick to get back on his feet, spinning to face her again, arching his back and hissing with all of his might.

Clearly unnerved, the enemy warrior took one step back, then another, then turned completely around and followed the rest of her defeated Clanmates.

Firepaw wasted no time in running the rest of the way to the nursery. Doing his best to ignore Rosetail on the ground, he looked inside the bramble bush to see no sign of Blackfoot. Instead, he saw Yellow crouched over all five crying kits, panting with one eye shut as a cut on her forehead bled into it.

Recognizing him, Yellow backed down with a grunt, spying his confused expression. “I swore an oath not to kill. Didn’t say anything about hurting anyone,” she muttered, glancing down at the kits. “Besides, I  _ wasn’t _ about to have more kits die on my watch.”

Firepaw looked at her, saw the raw honesty on her face, and nodded solemnly. “Then I’ll leave them in your care,” he said before stepping back out into the clearing, ready to take down another ShadowClan warrior.

However, when he glanced around he saw that the rest of the enemy warriors still in camp were already being chased out and back into the forest. He saw Sandpaw drive off a gray tom all by herself, looking ferocious even though he was sure she was absolutely exhausted. It wasn’t long before the last two intruders were run out by Whitestorm and Willowpelt, and ThunderClan’s victory was assured.

Right then, all of the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body suddenly evaporated, leaving him feeling boneless. Not knowing exactly what to do, he just stood there in front of the nursery, observing his Clanmates begin to gather in the middle of the blood-spattered clearing.

And for just for a moment, there was silence as everyone took in what just happened.

Then, Firepaw heard a soft dragging sound coming from the other side of camp. He, along with many others, turned to see Tigerclaw slowly walk into the light, in his jaws a limp pale golden tabby cat. Gently setting them down, Tigerclaw stood tall and covered in blood as he announced what was beginning to dawn on many cats.

“Lionheart is dead!”


	17. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 15, the aftermath of the battle ! Let me know what yall think, cause quite a few things happen here. 
> 
> Deadline for next chapter is Friday, maybe even Saturday cause it's quite a doozy ;> Enjoy~

The camp was eerily silent as Tigerclaw bent back down to drag Lionheart’s body the rest of the way. The crowd parted for him easily, standing back and watching as he gently laid the deputy’s battered and beaten body down in the middle of the clearing. 

As soon as he stepped away, a long wail sounded, and the crowd parted again, this time allowing Frostfur to slowly step up to Lionheart. She looked down at him for just a moment before she collapsed to the ground next to him, her face pressed against his thick fur. She was soon joined by Sandpaw, her face contorting as she looked down upon them both before she, too, lied down next to Frostfur and buried her face into Lionheart’s mane. Then Goldenflower approached, her eyes tired and her tail low, with Speckletail leaning heavily on her side. The two of them exchanged soft words before Goldenflower helped Speckletail down next to Sandpaw. 

_ That’s right…  _ Firepaw thought as he observed the scene.  _ Frostfur was his mate and Sandpaw was their first kit… Goldenflower was his sister… and Speckletail was his mother.  _ He glanced behind him and into the nursery where Yellow was trying to calm the kits down.  _ Brackenkit, Cinderkit, Thornkit, and Brightkit… They’re only three moons old. Will they understand what’s happened to their father? _

His ears perked as he heard someone approach him, turning to see Redtail come to stand next to him, his eyes trained on Rosetail’s limp body. After a brief moment of only staring at her, the warrior took his solemn steps forward, gently picking her up by the scruff of her neck ( _ right where Blackfoot _ \- Firepaw stopped the thought before it could fully form) and dragging her next to Lionheart.

“Rosetail has fallen as well,” Redtail announced, his voice breaking halfway through, before settling down beside her. He was soon flanked by Willowpelt and Dappletail, their pelts pressing close to his sides as he pressed his muzzle against Rosetail’s side.

Whitestorm padded up to Rosetail as well, settling down on Willowpelt’s other side as he prepared to mourn. At first, Firepaw thought he was there in support for Willowpelt since the two always seemed to be close, but then he remembered that Rosetail was his aunt.

The sound of cats entering through the gorse tunnel caught the attention of everyone not mourning, many still on high alert for more danger. But the cats who entered were not enemies, but rather Bluestar (who looked far better than she had before the battle and no longer relied on anyone to help her stand), Spottedleaf, Graypaw, and Brindleface. They all stopped dead in their tracks when they took in the scene in front of them.

“We were too late,” Firepaw heard Bluestar murmur.

“No,” Graypaw said, his eyes stuck on Rosetail’s body. “No… No!” He broke away from the group, tearing through the crowd, not caring if he bumped into anyone. “Rosetail!” he cried as he got to her. “Rosetail!  _ Rosetail _ !” He nudged her harshly with his paw, then nudged her harder. “Rosetail… Rosetail,  _ please _ …”

Firepaw was quick to rush to his side, gently guiding him away from her before he could do greater damage to her body. Graypaw resisted for only a heartbeat before he went limp against Firepaw’s side, hiding his face in his dark ginger tabby coat as he breathed out a shaky, “mom…” Firepaw could only press up against him, his heart heavy with guilt as Graypaw’s body racked with suppressed sobs. 

“What happened?” Bluestar asked, having gone from the entrance to the top of the Highrock.

Tigerclaw stepped forward, his pelt still covered in blood. “It was Brokentail,” he said, which caused many in the clearing to murmur to themselves in alarm. “I saw him sneak up on Lionheart and attack him at the edge of camp. By the time I got to him, it was already too late.”

Firepaw glanced up from Graypaw to look towards where Tigerclaw had dragged Lionheart from.  _ I don’t remember seeing or hearing Brokentail during the battle, _ he thought as he scanned the dark edge of camp, though for what, he wasn’t sure.  _ But if Tigerclaw says it was him, then surely he was - _

His thoughts cut off as his gaze found Ravenpaw, crouched in the approximate direction of where Lionheart was killed. His green eyes were wide, seemingly twice as wide as the moon, and even though he was more than a tree-length away from him, Firepaw could see that he was shaking violently. 

_ Did… did Ravenpaw see it happen? Did he see Brokentail kill Lionheart? _

“I see…” Bluestar murmured, drawing back Firepaw’s attention. She had her head bent low, and it was obvious her grief was great. “Then ThunderClan needs a new deputy.” Taking a breath, she lifted her head back up and scanned the gathered cats below her. “Goldenflower,” she called, waiting as the pale ginger tabby slowly stood from her position by Lionheart’s body, “do you accept the position of deputy?”

Firepaw, along with most of the Clan, expected her to say ‘yes’ immediately. However, Goldenflower merely lowered her gaze, her brows drawn as she thought. After giving a brief glance towards Tigerclaw, she lifted her head back up and hesitantly answered back, “no, I do not accept the position of deputy. Instead, I wish to join the nursery as a caretaker.”

Startled murmurs rose from the crowd. Firepaw himself was confused. Sure, she was allowed to deny the position, but having known her for the past three moons, he would have bet she’d accept, and there was no doubt she would make for a great deputy, and perhaps even leader. And… a caretaker? Firepaw had not pegged her as the type to want to spend every moment in the nursery.

Bluestar also seemed surprised by her answer, as her brows rose. “Are you sure…?”

Goldenflower dipped her head, gaze to the ground. “I am sure, Bluestar. You see… Tigerclaw and I have been talking about having another litter together. And… looking at all of the horrible things that have been happening in the Clans lately… at everyone who has died… I want to protect my kits with my life, to make sure they grow up  _ with _ their mother, and I believe becoming a caretaker is the best way for me to achieve that.” She glanced over at Dustpelt, who had joined her side, and smiled.

Firepaw frowned, wanting to point out that becoming deputy wouldn’t mean abandoning her kits, and it certainly wouldn’t mean she wouldn’t be protecting them, but he knew it was not his place to point these out. It was her decision, after all.

Searching her gaze for just a moment, Bluestar tilted her head. “And what about your apprentice?”

Goldenflower looked over at Sandpaw, who was still sitting by her mother, but was watching what was happening with wide eyes. “I am sure you will agree with me, Bluestar, that my apprentice has certainly proved herself today. Perhaps it is time that she join the ranks of a warrior?”

Bluestar smiled. “She certainly has,” she murmured, then nodded to herself. “All right then, Goldenflower, I accept your request to become a caretaker. May you help raise ThunderClan’s kits as your own. And as for your apprentice…” She flicked her tail in a beckoning motion. 

Sandpaw blinked, then scrambled to her feet. Before she went over and stood beneath the Highrock, however, Frostfur stood up as well and quickly groomed her daughter, murmuring quiet words as she did. Firepaw smiled to himself as he watched Sandpaw get annoyed at her, gently pushing her mother away so she could actually get to where she was supposed to be.

As soon as she was in position, Bluestar began, “I, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, call on our warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has done well to learn the ways of a warrior, and I ask them to recognize her as such. Sandpaw, do promise to follow the warrior code, and protect your Clan no matter what, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Sandpaw answered firmly, her head held high, even though Firepaw could still see the grief shining bright in her eyes from where he sat.

“Then as leader, I give you your warrior name. From this day forth, you shall be known as Sandstorm. ThunderClan honors your fierceness and courage, and welcomes you as a full warrior.” Her smile softened. “Your father would be proud of you.”

“Sandstorm! Sandstorm! Sandstorm!” called the camp, Firepaw joining in. The newly named Sandstorm basked in the attention, though the emotions on her face were too complicated for Firepaw to decipher. 

“ThunderClan is still in need of a deputy,” Bluestar continued once the clearing was quiet again. She glanced around until her gaze fell upon a certain dark brown tabby tom. “Tigerclaw, will you accept the position of deputy in Goldenflower’s place?”

Tigerclaw stood with a small smirk on his face. “Of course, Bluestar,” he said smoothly. “I would be honored to accept this position."  


A small, panicked sound drew Firepaw’s attention from Tigerclaw back to the shadows where Ravenpaw still sat, and was taken back to see him looking like he was about to pass out. His fear scent was even starting to waft over to him, and he grew worried about why he looked to be getting more and more scared as time went on.  _ Was seeing Lionheart’s death so traumatic for him…? _ he thought with a frown. 

“Then as leader of ThunderClan, I appoint you deputy,” Bluestar said. “May you help guide our Clan on the right path.”

Tigerclaw bowed his head, and some cats murmured their congratulations to him.

“Now,” Bluestar continued, interrupting the chit chat below, “I’m sure many of you are wondering what occurred on our journey to the Moonstone. We took a longer, more strenuous journey to avoid any ShadowClan cats, and we ended up not seeing a single cat the whole trip there. Spottedleaf and Graypaw received a grave vision at the Moonstone, and said that we had to return as soon as possible. This meant we had to go back through WindClan territory, though Spottedleaf was adamant about us not having to worry about ShadowClan. And, in the end, we didn’t see a single ShadowClan cat until we arrived back at camp. We did, however, encounter something else that drastically slowed our pace. In our rush, we ran into a horde of rats, which we eventually fought off, but not without a cost.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “While fighting them, I lost one of my lives. I now only have four.”

“What did she say?” Graypaw asked, startling Firepaw so bad he almost shot straight into the air. He glanced down to find that Graypaw had significantly calmed down, though he still leaned heavily against Firepaw’s side. “She has four?”

“Yeah, that’s what she said…” Firepaw murmured, confused on why  _ he _ was confused. 

“But… she only has two.”

“What?” he balked. “How do you know that?” He remembered when Bluestar had asked Spottedleaf if she had seen how many lives Brokentail had at the Gathering. “Can… can you see her lives?”

“Not… quite,” he whispered. “It’s more like… her aura? The more lives a cat has, the stronger the aura around them is. Spottedleaf’s been teaching me how to tell exactly how many lives a leader has based on how strong their aura is. She used Bluestar as an example of what a cat with three lives looked like, and when she lost a life fighting the rats, I saw her aura shrink. It’s barely stronger than any other cat’s aura now, which means she only has two lives.”

“But… why would she lie about how many lives she has?”

“I don’t know… Maybe because she doesn’t want to look weak? We did almost get run out by ShadowClan today, and… two cats died.” His gaze fell down to Rosetail, the intense grief returning to his eyes. “It might be a way to try and increase the Clan’s confidence, make them feel safer.”

Firepaw hummed, looking back up at Bluestar, who still had injuries and blood showing on her pelt, but didn’t falter under the gazes of her Clanmates. Admiration sparked inside of him as he realized just how strong she was.  _ It doesn’t matter to me if she has four or two lives left _ , he thought.  _ I feel more than safe that she’s my leader. _

“I know today’s battle has left many scars, and taken away two good cats,” Bluestar said, a brief flash of grief showing on her face before she shook it off, “but all we can do is mourn, cleanup, and move on. The rest of tonight, we will share tongues with Lionheart and Rosetail for the last time until the elders to put them to their final rest. Sandstorm.” She looked down at the new warrior, whose head was still held high. “As proof of your new position, you will serve vigil over our camp tonight and vow silence until the sun’s first light has risen. Do you accept this task?” When Sandstorm nodded, she nodded back. “Good. Then, I believe that is all - ”

“Bluestar, may I make a request before you end this meeting?” Tigerclaw suddenly asked, standing back up.

Many cats murmured amongst themselves as Bluestar’s ear twitched and tail lashed once, before she nodded. “Yes… What is it that you request, Tigerclaw?”

“I know I should have discussed this with you beforehand, but I figured since everyone is already gathered here, we may as well do it now.”

“And what is it exactly you wish to do?” Bluestar asked, voice beginning to get impatient.

Never faltering despite the whispers of his rudeness spreading across camp and Bluestar’s annoyed gaze pointed right at him, he said with a glance towards the edge of camp, “I wish for there to be a caretaker ceremony for my apprentice.”

Many gasps shot up from the clearing. Firepaw frowned and followed Tigerclaw’s gaze to Ravenpaw, who looked like he had stopped breathing entirely. “Wait… does he mean that he wants Ravenpaw to become a caretaker? But he’s still an apprentice. Can toms even become caretakers?”

“Of course,” Graypaw replied, his gaze also on Ravenpaw. “Anyone can become a caretaker, even apprentices. It’s just rarer. But… to have an apprentice’s mentor request one for them without prior discussion with Bluestar? That’s… basically unheard of. And it doesn’t even seem like it’s Ravenpaw’s idea.”

Bluestar narrowed her eyes at Tigerclaw, flicking her tail for silence before asking, “and why should I give your apprentice a caretaker ceremony now?”

“Ravenpaw has never been good at fighting, nor does he want to fight. He’s been behind on battle training for moons now, and I believe that even if he were to train for twice as long, he would not pass his assessment before the younger apprentices. And…” He paused to gaze more steadily at Ravenpaw. “I saw him today during the battle. Instead of fighting, he ran to the edge of camp and stayed there. When I went to chase Brokentail away from Lionheart’s corpse, I saw Ravenpaw cowering there, not a scratch on him.” He turned back to Bluestar. “I believe it’s in everyone’s best interest if he come a caretaker instead of continuing to try and become something he obviously is not."

The murmurs increased with everything he said with more scrutinizing looks being thrown at Ravenpaw, who still sat at the edge of camp, seemingly frozen solid with how little movement he was making. Firepaw bristled and could feel Graypaw beginning to growl. “This is humiliating…” Graypaw spat quietly. 

“Why is he doing this…?” Firepaw asked, anger rising the longer he looked at Tigerclaw’s smug expression. “Why now?”

Bluestar was quiet on the Highrock as the cats below either murmured their displeasure at Tigerclaw or at Ravenpaw. Her eyes were in slits as she stared down Tigerclaw like she was trying to see past his words for his actual meaning. Finally, she sighed and stood, calling out, “Ravenpaw.”

All eyes turned towards the small apprentice. Ravenpaw was still frozen, but he knew that he had to go when called. Firepaw watched as he slowly, slowly crept forward, past him and Graypaw, past Lionheart’s body, past Tigerclaw, and seated himself below the Highrock, terrified gaze pointed up at Bluestar.

“Ravenpaw,” she said again, softer this time. “Is it  _ your _ wish to become a caretaker?”

The whole clearing was quiet as Ravenpaw pressed his lips together in thought. Moments went by with still no answer.

“Well?” prompted Bluestar, brow raised when he startled at her voice.

Ravenpaw visibly swallowed as he glanced around the clearing, no doubt seeing the disapproving faces of his peers. Firepaw saw the exact moment when Ravenpaw’s gaze connected with Tigerclaw’s, and it looked like immediate resignation. Ears and tail drooping, Ravenpaw turned back to face Bluestar. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “It is my wish,” he rasped out.

Yet Bluestar still didn’t seem convinced. “You realize that by becoming a caretaker now, you will take on your full name, but give up all warrior duties, including hunting. And, if you ever change your mind and wish to return to the path of a warrior, you must then exchange your full name, take back your ’paw name, and resume your training where you left off. Do you understand this?”

“Yes, Bluestar,” he said quietly.

“And knowing this, you still wish to become a caretaker?”

“Yes, Bluestar,” he said again, voice confident, yet his body language was hesitant. 

There was a brief moment of silence as she stared down Ravenpaw, but eventually she sighed deeply and nodded. “If you really do wish it to happen, then I’ll perform the ceremony.” Sparing one glance towards Tigerclaw, she then turned all her attention upon the small black apprentice. “Ravenpaw, I accept your request to become a caretaker, and in doing so, give you your full name. From this day onward, you shall be known as Raventhroat. May you help raise ThunderClan’s kits as if they were your own.”

Instead of murmuring their approval, most of the cats in the clearing instead muttered amongst themselves, watching as the newly named Raventhroat dipped his head gratefully towards Bluestar, before spinning around and practically dashing to the nursery. In his hurry to get out of the spotlight, he nearly ran right into Yellow, who seemed to have finally calmed the kits down enough to leave. She raised a brow at him before glancing over at Firepaw, who shook his head hopelessly. 

Bluestar watched him go silently, and once his white tipped tail disappeared into the bramble bush, she turned back to the crowd below her. “With that, this meeting has concluded. Now, we mourn for our losses.” She jumped off of the Highrock, and the crowd began to disperse.

Graypaw stood as soon as the meeting was over and padded over to Rosetail’s side. Firepaw worried for a moment that he would lash out again, but sighed in relief when he simply settled down next to Whitestorm and began to help groom out her fur. 

Firepaw thought of joining him, but spotted Sandstorm making her way over to the gorse entrance for her own vigil. Quickly, he padded up to her and, when he got her attention, gave her a soft smile. “Congratulations, and… I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sandstorm blinked at him, opening her mouth then quickly shutting it again as she remembered the rule against talking. Instead, she simply gave a small, tired smile back and nodded before continuing to her position, leaving Firepaw feeling pleased by the positive interaction. 

It was then that he turned back around and joined Graypaw’s side next to Rosetail, pressing his flank up against his to make sure he knew he was there for him.

Time passed, and it was eventually time to bury the dead, the moon high in the sky, casting an eerie glow through a thin layer of mist. All the elders gathered around Lionheart’s body, picking him up and carrying him out into the forest where all dead cats were buried. Those closest to Lionheart followed the elders out, though Firepaw noticed Sandstorm’s sad eyes watching them leave and knew that she wanted to follow, but couldn’t because of her vigil. After a while, the elders came back alone, the relatives of Lionheart having stayed behind to say their last goodbyes over his grave. 

It was then Rosetail’s turn. The elder’s didn’t have as hard of a time picking her body up, so they managed to carry her out quicker than Lionheart. Graypaw began to follow the procession, but Firepaw stayed behind. He hadn’t been that close to Rosetail, and so he thought it inappropriate to follow just because he wanted to accompany Graypaw.

Once he was gone, Firepaw stood and padded to the apprentice’s den, feeling like he was going to pass out at any moment. When he pushed back the ferns, he paused to look at the emptiness of the den. Sandstorm and Raventhroat’s nests were empty, and now always would be. 

_ It’s only Graypaw and me in here now… _ he thought. On any other day, the thought would have excited him. No more cranky Sandstorm telling them to be quiet as they tried to tell the other about their day! No more overheated nights when the sheer amount of bodies sleeping in the ferns would raise the temperature to an unsleepable height! 

But now, after everything that had happened that day, the thought only made him sad. It didn’t help that Graypaw’s nest was empty because he was out grieving, either. 

Filled with sadness and exhaustion, he padded over and settled into his nest, falling asleep instantly despite the overwhelming loneliness of the den.

 

*

 

When Firepaw woke the next morning, it was to the soft snoring of Graypaw by his side. Relief at not waking up to an empty flooded him until he saw the pained look on his friend’s face, and how he twitched in his sleep. 

He glanced outside and realized the sun was already high in the sky, and he could hear the hustle and bustle of a camp rebuilding. Knowing he had to get up, but also knowing Graypaw probably needed as much sleep as he could get, Firepaw slowly got up, stretched his muscles (he had been right about feeling all the training he did yesterday, and the extra fighting from the battle did not help one bit), and gave Graypaw a quick, reassuring lick on the forehead that he hoped made his sleep just a bit easier, before he hurried out into the clearing.

As he exited the apprentice’s den, he glanced around and confirmed with his eyes that the whole Clan was helping rebuild the camp. Almost everyone was out and about, save for those closest to the recently dead, who he guessed were all still trying to catch up on sleep. He looked around the clearing to try and spot a place where he could help out as well, but then his gaze fell upon Raventhroat, who was helping Sparrowpelt and Willowpelt patch up a hole in the camp’s wall. 

Remembering how quickly he had run off to the nursery after his caretaker ceremony, Firepaw set a course to him, hoping to question him on exactly what had happened last night. But, as soon as Raventhroat caught sight of him, he quickly turned to Sparrowpelt to say something and spun around to enter the elder’s den, probably using the excuse to find spare twigs and branches around the fallen tree trunk.

Firepaw stopped in his pursuit, knowing that it would do no good hound him into giving up the answers.  _ He’ll tell me when he’s ready, _ he thought.  _ Hopefully… _

Looking around to find something else to do, he spotted Yellow grooming herself in her usual corner. This was no unusual sight, but the sight of her without a guard was certainly enough for him to hurry over.

“Yellow!” he called out as he approached, gaining her attention. “Are you all right after yesterday’s fight?” He glanced around one more time to be sure. “Where’s your guard for the day?”

The old molly’s bright orange eyes glinted in the sun. “Don’t need one anymore,” she chuckled, “not after what I did to protect those kits. Besides, ThunderClan needs all available warriors to help clean up this whole mess, not babysit me.”

He perked up. “Wait, does that mean you’re a part of ThunderClan now?!”

“Don’t get your tail in a twizzle, kit,” she warned. “You may be forgetting that I’m an exiled cat from  _ ShadowClan _ . So, until the leader of ShadowClan pardons me, I stay an exiled cat, and not even Bluestar can change that.”

“Oh…” he murmured, feeling a bit foolish in his excited outburst. Looking for a way to quickly change the subject before the air between them got too awkward, he scanned her face, remembering the scratch that had been bleeding into her eye. “Are your injuries okay?”

“Are yours?” she countered, glancing down at his belly. “I remember seeing you get a real beating before I drove Blackfoot away.”

“I’m… I’m fine,” he said, a bit unsure. If he was honest with himself, he’d admit that he had forgotten all about the molly who had almost torn his stomach out. But as he glanced down to check for himself, he realized that although it stung just a bit, it wasn’t bleeding, nor did it stand out against his fur. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Have Spottedleaf check it out regardless,” she grunted, going back to grooming her fur.

Firepaw’s ear twitched, a smile creeping onto his face, but he said nothing, just simply nodding. There were a few moments of easy silence before another thought came to his mind. “Speaking of Blackfoot… How did you manage to drive him off? He’s  _ huge _ , and I overhead some cats in ShadowClan talking about how he should’ve been deputy instead of Rowanberry at the Gathering.”

Yellow scoffed. “I’ve known Blackfoot since he was a kit. He was always a follower. He could get places just by following the right cat, but he’s always chosen the wrong one. He’s in over his head with following Brokentail, could only give me a few swipes before his conscious made him run.” She chuckled hoarsely, then grew serious. “...How did Rowanberry seem at the Gathering? She was there, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah…” he answered. “She… seemed fine, but she always had her head bowed whenever I looked at her, so I could never really see her expression.” He paused. “Why?”

Sighing, Yellow lifted her head to stare Firepaw straight on. “She’s my sister, that’s why.”

A brief moment of shock went through him, but quickly faded as he remembered seeing Rowanberry’s flattened face, a face that seemed too similar to Yellow’s for it to be a coincidence. “But… wait. If she’s your sister, then why is she still deputy? Did she support Brokentail throwing you out?”

“Of course not,” she spat, then quickly eased up when Firepaw flinched. “No, she didn’t. But she had no choice but to let him do it. You see… Rowanberry has several kits, and even a grandkit, with more on the way. She couldn’t speak out, in fear that they would take her punishment.”

“But then why blackmail her in the first place when he could just appoint one of his own loyal cats?”

She shook her head. “I think it was supposed to be some sort of statement to the other Clans. Something to try and tell them that the majority of the Clan agreed with his new position, even the deputy, however false that may be in actuality.”

Firepaw sighed. “This is… all so complicated.”

“You could say that again…” Yellow sighed, glancing towards the Highrock, where the lichens hiding Bluestar’s den from view remained untouched. “It’ll be interesting to know what Bluestar plans to do now that ShadowClan has made themselves a threat.”

Firepaw hummed, worry licking at his paws. It was with a sigh that he got back to his feet. “Well, I guess I should go help out somewhere. With the amount of damage ShadowClan did… it might take us into tomorrow to finish all the repairs.” He looked back to Yellow and smiled. “I’m glad you don’t have to have a guard anymore. And I don’t really care whether or not you’re still considered an exiled cat; you’ll always be a part of ThunderClan in my heart.”

Yellow stared at him for a heartbeat before she snorted, bending over to try and conceal her wheezing snickers, failing miserably.

Realizing just how cheesy his words were, Firepaw felt his ears grow hot, stuttering out, “you… you know what I mean!” Sniffing, he quickly turned and around and began to dash away. “I’ll go see Spottedleaf when I’m done helping clean!” he called back from over his shoulder, knowing that if he didn’t at least say it that he was going to get bugged about it later.

“I’ll make sure you do!” he heard her call back between fits of laughter, and he smiled to himself before getting to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit goes to @warriorsredux for Ravenpaw's full name. I think it fits him really well :>


	18. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is. The dreaded chapter 16 loll. I'm pretty sure this is the longest chapter ? But don't hold me on that. I do know that it was one of the more harder ones to write, especially the ending, because I did NOT wanna write it lolll. 
> 
> Anyway, thank you everyone for over 1000 hits ! The response to this rewrite has been greater than I thought it was going to be, and I'm so glad everyone has liked it so far.
> 
> Now, if you excuse me, I have to leave before yall bust my kneecaps fnjnoi. Next chapter deadline is Tuesday. Enjoy ? ^^;

“Spottedleaf?” Firepaw called into the darkness of the healer’s den. “Spottedleaf?”

“Coming,” he heard her call back, so he sat and waited as sounds of rustling came from inside. 

It had been a long day of repairs, and there was still work to do, but Bluestar had ordered everyone to stop for the day and get some rest. Firepaw knew that this was the best time to go see Spottedleaf about his injury so Yellow wouldn’t be bugging him later, but he also wanted to ask about Graypaw. He hadn’t seen his friend all day, and he was worried about him. He had thought that perhaps he had just been in the healer’s den, but when Spottedleaf finally emerged alone with no sign of anyone else being in the den, his hopes were dashed.

“What can I help you with, Firepaw,” she asked, glancing him over like she could tell what was wrong with just a look.

“I, ah, just wanted you to check an injury I got in the fight yesterday. A ShadowClan molly scratched my belly pretty hard.”

She hummed and nodded. “All right then. Get on your back and I’ll have a look see.”

Obeying her instructions, Firepaw slowly rolled onto his back, paws in the air so they didn’t get in the way of her view. As soon as he was in position, Spottedleaf gently pressed a paw on his belly, then moved onto a different spot and did the same thing.

“Do you feel any sharp pain when I do this?” she asked as she pressed onto another spot. 

Firepaw squirmed each time she touched him, but he didn’t feel anything close to sharp pain. “No,” he answered, “it just feels a bit ticklish.”

Spottedleaf chuckled to herself as she removed her paw and gestured for him to sit back up. “Well, it doesn’t seem like there’s any bleeding or infection, but I’ll give you a poppy seed to help you sleep better. Sleep is one of the best ways for our bodies to heal, after all. Just remember to sleep on your side so you don’t agitate it.”

“Okay…” he murmured as he watched her go back into her den to fetch the seed. “So, poppy seeds are for sleeping, too? I thought they were just for pain.”

“They’re good for both,” she said with a slightly muffled voice, emerging again with a head of poppy in her mouth. She then set it down and with expert claws, removed a single seed from it and placed it on a leaf in front of Firepaw. “It relaxes the body, so the pain fades and you feel a bit drowsy. But, have too much and, well, you may never wake up again.”

Firepaw paused as he was about to lick the poppy seed, suddenly unnerved by the tiny black dot. 

Seeing his sudden discomfort, Spottedleaf purred out a laugh. “Which is why healers only give cats one at a time, two maximum.” She nodded at the lone seed. “You’ll be fine.”

Embarrassed by his reaction, he sheepishly bent back down and swallowed the little thing. Sitting back up, he thought for a moment. “You said these help with sleep? So… if someone was having trouble sleeping, you’d give them one of these?”

Spottedleaf eyed him briefly before saying gently, “you’re talking about Graypaw, aren’t you?”

Firepaw nodded slowly. “I don’t think he slept at all last night; he kept twitching and muttering in his sleep…”

The healer hummed. “I’ll admit I’m worried for him as well. When he tried to report to me for his duties, I sent him away because it seemed that he was hardly present. I suspect he’s just been cooped up in the apprentice’s den all day, and I doubt he’s had much rest.” She glanced down at the poppy head and nodded. “All right then, why don’t you give him some of these when you head back.” Just as fluidly as the first time, she popped two more poppy seeds out of the head and nudged them onto the leaf.

A slight hint of alarm went through him. “Is… two a good idea? Why not give him one like you did me?”

Instead of getting upset or offended, Spottedleaf simply chuckled. “It’s all right. I already gave him one yesterday after Rosetail’s burial, and that didn’t seem to do the trick, so two should be the perfect amount for him.” 

“Ah, yes, of course,” he murmured, ears growing hot as more embarrassment came to him. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have doubted you, since you’re the healer and all…”

She looked at him and smiled softly. “It’s perfectly all right,” she assured with a quiet purr. “In fact, it makes me happy that you care for him enough to question a healer.” She paused briefly before continuing, her voice suddenly taking on a more serious tone. “Can you promise me that you’ll always look out for him? I… have a feeling he’ll need a friend now more than ever.”

Firepaw blinked, a little unsettled, but slowly nodded nonetheless. “Of course…” he murmured. “I’d do anything for Graypaw.”

As soon as he answered, Spottedleaf sighed, shoulders slumping like an entire weight had been lifted from them. “Thank you, Firepaw. Have a nice night.” She dipped her head once, then stood and slipped back into her den.

“Yeah…” he said to thin air. After a heartbeat, he shook himself and stood, telling himself that it was probably nothing.

Bending down to gently pick the leaf up while not spilling the two seeds on it, he carefully made his way back to the apprentice’s den, hoping that these would help Graypaw get back to his old self again.

 

*

 

The next day came and went much like the last. When Firepaw awoke, Graypaw was still asleep, though this time, to his relief, it was a deep and peaceful slumber. He had been careful not to disturb him as he left the den, but he figured that even if he had made the loudest caterwaul possible right next to his ear, the big lump would still be mindlessly dreaming.

Firepaw spent the whole day helping with the last of the repairs, since Brindleface was confined in the nursery for good, her kits being due any day now. Occasionally he would take breaks to either have a chat with Yellow, or to quickly check up on how Graypaw was doing, and for the most part, he seemed like he was back on his feet, actually leaving the apprentice’s den sometime after sunhigh to go help Spottedleaf collect herbs. 

Overall, it was a productive, calm day. 

It was towards the end of the day, when he helped Speckletail and Goldenflower put the finishing touches on the nursery’s brand new, thicker bramble bush wall that he spotted Dustpelt and Sandstorm padding over to join Whitestorm for the last hunting patrol of the day. As he watched them exit through the gorse tunnel, his eyes wandered and eventually landed on Raventhroat, who just finished fixing a small hole in the camp’s outer wall.

Firepaw saw the chance as it arose. He quickly dismissed himself from the two other caretakers and practically dashed across the clearing, so that when Raventhroat turned around, preparing to go back into hiding in the nursery, his way was firmly blocked. 

“Oh,” Raventhroat murmured, his previously relaxed state dissolving into a nervous one, “hey, Firepaw. What’s… what’s happening?”

“That’s kind of what I wanted to ask you,” he said. It was then that he decided that he wasn’t going to wait any longer. With Graypaw still not quite himself, Brindleface unable to go out and train him, and the camp’s repairs pretty much complete, he had nothing else to distract him from what happened a few days ago. 

Raventhroat visibly swallowed, glancing around to avoid looking at him. “I’m… not quite sure what you mean.”

“I think you do.” Firepaw glared at him for a solid heartbeat before sighing, softening his tone, “listen, if you  _ really _ don’t want to tell me anything, then I’ll leave you alone. But, Raventhroat, you’re my friend, and seeing Tigerclaw talk about you like that in front of the whole Clan… and how terrified you were when the fight was done… I can’t help feeling that there’s something  _ more _ happening, and I want to help you, if I can.” He paused to get a good look at his face. “Can I?”

There was a few solid moments of quiet between them as Firepaw let Raventhroat think. Then, the black tom took a calming deep breath, glanced around the clearing, and beckoned Firepaw into a deeper, darker portion of the camp border.

Just before Firepaw followed, he did his own glance around the clearing, and noted that he didn’t see Tigerclaw anywhere.

“Okay…” Raventhroat murmured as they both got settled. “Okay…. Okay…” He finally looked up and met Firepaw’s eye. “Look, whatever I tell you right now… you  _ cannot _ tell anyone else about, okay? I’m only telling you this because… because I  _ trust _ you, and I just…  _ really _ need to talk to someone about it.”

Firepaw frowned. “Okay, I promise.”

Raventhroat nodded, then nodded again. There seemed to be another moment of inner conflict as his claws retracted and sheathed themselves, most likely unconsciously so. Then he sat up straighter and leaned forward, whispering so faintly that Firepaw had to strain his ears in order to hear, “I saw Lionheart’s death, but he wasn't killed by Brokentail. Brokentail wasn’t even there. In fact, no ShadowClan warrior was even near Lionheart.”

“What?” Firepaw whispered back. “Then… who killed Lionheart?”

“It… it was  _ Tigerclaw _ .”

“... _ What _ ?!”

“Please, hear me out,” he pleaded. 

Firepaw shook his head as the revelation sunk in “Why… why would Tigerclaw  _ kill _ Lionheart?! They’re Clanmates… that’s against the warrior code!”

“Because he wanted to become deputy,” Raventhroat hissed under his breath. “He’s always had his eye on the position of leader. I… I guess he just got too impatient to wait for it.”

“So…” He looked back up at him. “What  _ exactly _ happened then?”

Raventhroat shook his head, his bad memories of that night probably coming back to him. “It… it was chaos during that fight, you know? And, I was trying to help chase off cats, but there were just…  _ so _ many cats, that I didn’t know where to go, or who to help… Eventually, I saw Tigerclaw run up to Lionheart and tell him that he saw Brokentail coming in from the dark corner of camp. And I thought… that it’s ShadowClan’s leader, of course they’ll need some extra help, so I followed them, too, but… when I got there… I saw Tigerclaw pounce on Lionheart, and… and  _ kill  _ him.”

Firepaw listened in silence, imaging the two large cats fighting in the shadows of camp, with Tigerclaw eventually pinning Lionheart down and dealing the killing blow… He shivered at the thought. “But then… what does that have to do with Tigerclaw suggesting you become a caretaker…?”

“Because…” He shook his head even harder, practically caving in on himself. “Because… he  _ saw _ me, right after he killed Lionheart. He  _ saw me _ watching him… I guess he figured that with me being a caretaker… he could… keep a better eye on me…” Raventhroat closed his eyes and bent his head. “But… it’s not like anything he said wasn’t true… In the end, I really did do nothing in that fight… and I really  _ was _ way behind in my battle training… And it was obvious that Tigerclaw’s been embarrassed to have me as an apprentice since the day I turned six moons old…” He sighed, relaxing his muscles in defeat. “Honestly… it’s probably better this way.”

“No,” Firepaw said instantly and firmly.

Raventhroat blinked and looked up. “What…?”

“I said, ‘no’,” he repeated. “Listen, sure, you may not have done anything in  _ this _ fight, but it’s just one fight! And, yeah, maybe you were behind in some of your training, but that doesn’t mean you would never catch up! And any cat who would be ‘embarrassed’ to be your mentor, honestly doesn’t deserve to have you as their apprentice! None of these things should be reasons to force you into a position you don’t want to be in. I mean… you  _ loved _ hunting, Raventhroat, and you were probably one of the best hunters in the whole  _ Clan _ . Are you really okay with giving that up?”

Raventhroat was quiet for a solid moment, then averted his gaze with a shake of his head. “I don’t know… I don’t know.”

Firepaw held firm for a heartbeat longer before relaxing. “Okay… that’s fine. You don’t have to know right now. Besides, it’s for the best that you do what Tigerclaw wants for now until we can deal with him. Stay by the nursery and other caretakers. I’ll tell Bluestar - ”

“No!” Raventhroat nearly shouted before shrinking back and looking around to make sure no one heard him. “No, don’t tell Bluestar.”

“What? Why not?”

“Do you really think she’ll believe you? That she’ll believe  _ me _ ? No one else saw it happen but me. This… this is a serious accusation, and Tigerclaw’s the  _ deputy _ now.”

“But, Raventhroat - ”

“No. Please, Firepaw,  _ please _ don’t tell her. Just… leave it alone for now. Maybe he won’t do anything else, and this was a one time thing. He wanted to be deputy, and now he is, so maybe he’s satisfied.”

They both knew as soon as he said it that probably wasn’t the case, but Firepaw also knew that nothing could change his friend’s mind. “All right…” he murmured. “I won’t tell Bluestar. I promise.”

Raventhroat nodded, relaxing significantly. “Thank you, Firepaw. I’ll be sure to be careful.”

They parted soon after that, Raventhroat jogging back to the nursery while Firepaw went over to the freshkill pile to get some dinner for him and Graypaw. As he bent down to grab a chaffinch, he noticed Tigerclaw exiting the warrior’s den, stretching out his muscles with a yawn. Their gazes connected briefly, and Firepaw quickly went back to looking at the different choices in the pile. He felt Tigerclaw’s eyes on him for a moment longer before he saw out of the corner of his eye the warrior walk over to where Darkstripe and Longtail sat at the other end of camp.

An uneasy and unsettling feeling came over Firepaw as he eventually grabbed two pieces of prey and trotted to the apprentice’s den.  _ I can’t let him know that I know about Lionheart, or else he’ll know Raventhroat told me. I have to act normally around him. _ But he knew that was easier thought than done, as the images of Tigerclaw killing the former deputy kept playing over and over in his mind, almost as if he had actually seen it for himself.

He couldn’t imagine how Raventhroat felt.

 

*

 

Firepaw woke up the next morning a little after dawn to the sound of someone else entering the apprentice’s den. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he lifted his head up and peaked over Graypaw’s fluffy pelt to see Whitestorm poking his head through the ferns.

The silver warrior smiled at Firepaw and said in a whisper, “I just wanted to let you know that Brindleface had her kits last night, and she’s taking visitors right now. I thought that you’d want to know right away. Sorry if I woke you.”

Shaking his head, Firepaw was instantly on his feet. “No, it’s fine!” he whispered back, finding it a bit hard to keep the excitement from his voice. “And, thank you! I’ll go see them right now!”

Whitestorm nodded, chuckling softly before ducking back out into the clearing. 

Firepaw turned to Graypaw, who was still sleeping, and nudged him gently at his side. “Graypaw!” he called out softly. “Graypaw, Brindleface has had her kits! Let’s go see them!”

As he kept nudging him, Graypaw began to stir, his brows furrowing as he muttered in his sleep. It was with one last firm nudge that the big apprentice bolted straight up right, his fur fluffed up to make him look twice his usual size while his eyes were wide and frantic looking.

“Woah, Graypaw,” Firepaw murmured, taking a step back just in case he lashed out. “Hey, it’s just me.” He watched quietly as Graypaw recognized where he was and give his chest a few embarrassed licks. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah…” he eventually said, standing to shake out his pelt. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… had a bad dream is all.” He looked up and met Firepaw’s gaze, smiling thinly. “You said Brindleface had her kits?”

“Uh… yeah, I did. I was wondering if - ”

“If I wanted to see them with you?” Graypaw nodded, already making a move towards the clearing. “Yeah, sure, I’d love to. Race you to the nursery!”

And before Firepaw could even think to reply, he was off, dashing out of the ferns almost like his life depended on it.

Firepaw sat in the apprentice’s den for a moment longer, trying to wrap his head around the sudden shifts his friend just went through. Then he shook his head and began to follow him out, going at a much more leisurely pace.  _ If he has this much energy, then that must be a good sign,  _ he thought.  _ Besides, it’s way too early in the morning to get worried. _

He emerged from the ferns and was met with the cool morning breeze. Greenleaf was beginning to wind down, the mornings and nights getting colder as leaf-fall was starting to creep in. It didn’t change the fact that the evenings were still hot and sticky, however, though Firepaw knew he would eventually come to miss them when leafbare settled over the territories.

As he scanned the clearing, he saw that a few cats were up and about. Graypaw had just approached Whitestorm sitting outside the nursery, Frostfur was being led around the camp’s edges by Speckletail, Goldenflower, and Raventhroat, Swiftkit following behind, eyes wide like he was on an adventure, and Yellow sat by herself in a small patch of morning sunlight by the gorse tunnel. Firepaw spared a glance towards the old molly, but trotted over to join Graypaw at the nursery first.

“You can see them in a moment,” Whitestorm was saying as he approached, “but currently, Bluestar is inside visiting Brindleface. We don’t want to crowd her, since she didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Graypaw frowned, trying to look inside the bramble bush, but obviously saw nothing as he huffed quietly. 

Purring in amusement, Firepaw laid his tail on his friend’s flank. “You can go in first, I’m going to go chat with Yellow for a bit.”

Having expected a bit of protest, he was a bit startled when Graypaw simply nodded at him, his big fluffy tail twitching as he kept his eyes on the nursery entrance. Slowly removing his own tail from Graypaw’s side, he began to pad away after giving Whitestorm a polite dip of the head.

_ Maybe… he just really wants to see the kits?  _ he thought with a frown as he crossed the clearing.  _ But he wasn’t like this when Frostfur had  _ her _ kits… _

“What’s on your mind, kit?” Yellow’s raspy voice broke into his thoughts. She had just sat up at his arrival and was beginning to groom herself. Firepaw couldn’t help but notice how much better her pelt looked compared to when she first came to ThunderClan. “You look troubled.”

“Uh…” Glancing back, he saw Bluestar emerge from the nursery and Graypaw - without giving the leader so much of a glance - practically raced past her to get inside. “It’s just that… Graypaw’s been acting a bit strange this morning. When he woke up, he was on edge, saying that he had a bad dream or something, and now it’s like if he doesn’t see Brindleface’s kits  _ now _ , something bad will happen.”

Yellow hummed, also watching Graypaw with narrowed eyes. “Yeah, he does seem… different. But, that could just be because of what’s happened.”

“But yesterday he seemed fine again. He was working with Spottedleaf and being productive. Plus, before that, he was just… sad. He didn’t want to get out of his nest. Now? It seems like his fur might fall off if he stops moving.”

“That  _ is _ different,” she murmured, pausing just before she licked a paw to bring around her ear. “Truth be told, I’ve been feeling a bit off today, too.”

Firepaw perked up immediately. “Did you… get a vision?”

Instantly, she shook her head. “No, no, nothing like that. If I’d learned one thing from the time I was on my own, it was that as long as this exile mark is on me, I cannot receive StarClan’s visions.” Her tail flicked up to gesture at the four distinct claw marks running across her muzzle.

He cocked his head. “How do you know…?”

“Well, for one, I haven’t gotten a vision since Brokentail gave me this mark. At least, not outside the Moonstone. But even when I went to the Moonstone for guidance, their vision to me seemed dim and faraway…” Her voice trailed off as she became lost in thought. A moment later she shook her head and continued, “but, no, it wasn’t a vision. It’s more like… a bad feeling.” She looked up and stared at the rising sun. “Just in case, I’d be on alert today, kit.”

Firepaw followed her gaze, wondering if she saw something foreboding in the clouds, but only saw the usual fluffy shapes that emitted more of a calm feeling than one of dread. Shrugging it off, he looked back to Yellow. “Are you going to see the new kits?”

“What? Me?” She scoffed. “No, I don’t think so. A queen is very protective of her kits when they’re first born, especially when it’s her first litter. Why do you think Whitestorm is guarding the entrance, making sure only one cat goes in at a time?”

He blinked and glanced back towards the nursery. “I… didn’t really recognize him as guarding it. I thought he was just waiting for Bluestar.” But as he said it, he knew he was wrong because Bluestar had long since retreated into her den and Whitestorm still remained outside the bramble bush entrance.

Yellow chuckled softly. “Well, now you know.” She looked to the nursery herself, so when Graypaw finally emerged from the nursery looking just on edge as he did walking in, they both saw it. “Looks like it’s your turn to see them. Let me know if you find their constant mewing adorable or annoying.”

Snorting, he flicked his tail at her in goodbye as he got to his feet and padded back to the nursery. He nodded at Whitestorm as he arrived, but before he could slip in, the big silver tom gently stopped him with his tail. 

“Bluestar asked to see me in her den,” he explained. “Do you think you could make sure not more than one cat goes in while I’m gone?”

Remembering Yellow’s words, he nodded. 

“Good,” Whitestorm sighed with a grateful smile. “Come and fetch me once you’re done inside.” And with that, he stood and walked over to the Highrock, disappearing through the lichen covered cave entrance.

Firepaw looked back to the nursery entrance, took a deep breath, and slowly walked inside. “Brindleface…?” he cautiously called out into the dim lighted den.

“Over here, Firepaw,” came the response, and he followed it into the back of the den, spotting all four of Frostfur’s kits napping in their nest less than a tail-length away. 

He quickly found Brindleface in her nest, and his eyes immediately landed on the four tiny squirming kits that were at her belly. Two of them were gray with darker flecks, their only major difference being that one was a molly and the other a tom. Beside them was a dark gray tabby molly, and the last one was a tom in the splitting image of Brindleface with her dark gray coat and brown flecks. 

“Aren’t they wonderful?” Brindleface whispered, leaning over to tuck them closer to her.

“They really are…” Firepaw breathed. It was a little strange thinking that these kits were his mentor’s, but seeing the pleased look on Brindleface, he knew it was true. “Did you give them names yet?”

Eyes sparkling, she started with the twin molly and went down the line. “This one is Fernkit, and the one who looks just like her is Ashkit, and their sister is Mistlekit.” She paused as her tail passed over the last tom’s pelt. He, out of the rest of his siblings, was clearly the weakest, his tiny paws feebly kneading at Brindleface’s belly. “I’m having a bit of trouble naming this one,” she admitted quietly. “No matter how hard I’ve thought about it, I can’t think of anything that would suit him.”

Firepaw hummed quietly as he gazed down at the small kit, but he, too, couldn’t think of anything. “Well, they  _ were _ just born, so they don’t have to all have names right now, right? The perfect name will probably come to you later.”

After a brief moment of uncertainty, she finally nodded. “You’re right. And if I can’t think of one, then… then I’ll have to just ask Tornear what he thinks when I next see him.”

A heavy silence fell over the both of them as they thought about Brindleface’s lost WindClan mate. Firepaw knew she was just trying to stay positive, but he could tell she knew it was unlikely that WindClan would return soon, especially with ShadowClan still being a threat. But he nodded anyways, keeping his mouth shut.

It was when one of the kits let out a particularly loud cry that they both snapped back into reality, Brindleface bending down to lick that kit into contentedness. “Graypaw came in before you,” she started. “He seemed… on edge.”

“What did he say to you?” Firepaw asked.

“Usual healer things I suppose, like if I was all right, and if the kits were all right, and if I’d seen Spottedleaf. I told him everything was fine, and that Spottedleaf was out collecting herbs, but she’d be back in a little while to give me and the kits a check up.” She shook her head. “When I answered him, he just thanked me, quickly told me ‘congratulations’, then left again.” She looked up at him. “Do you know what’s going on with him?”

Firepaw sighed. “No… I don’t know what’s happening. He didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, I think, and he also said he had a bad dream, so maybe that’s why.”

Brindleface frowned. “A bad dream…?"

“Yeah, that’s what he said when he woke up looking like he did. Anyway,” he quickly said to change the subject, glancing around the den, “looks like you’ve basically got the den to yourself for the day, until Frostfur’s kits wake up, that is.”

She was quick to quietly laugh. “Yeah, Speckletail and the other’s finally got Frostfur to go out and get some fresh air. She’s been holed up inside here since… well, since Lionheart died, so Speckletail used the excuse of giving me some breathing room to get her to leave. Swiftkit joined them, since he didn’t want to sleep.” She shook her head with a fond smile. “He’s getting to be apprentice age already. Soon he’ll join you in the apprentice’s den.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be glad for it,” he purred, “considering how many denmates you’ll have once they all come back. Plus you’re four tiny kits… you’ll be drowning in cats in here.”

They shared a nice chuckle together, but Firepaw’s mirth died quickly as a thought entered his mind.

“Brindleface, now that your kits are here, does this mean I have to get a new mentor?”

Her laughter died along with his as she heard his question. “Well, yes, you’ll get a temporary mentor while I’m nursing these four, but that’ll be for only about a moon. I plan to get back out there and training you as soon as these little ones wean off my milk, especially because of all the other cats that’ll be living here, too.”

Firepaw nodded.  _ I can handle having a different mentor for one moon, _ he thought, forcing himself to cheer up for Brindleface and her kits’ sake.  _ I bet it’ll pass by in a flash anyway. _ “Well,” he said, getting to his feet. “I should leave you and your kits to rest.”

Brindleface smiled up at him, looking pleasantly sleepy. “Remember, it’ll just be for a moon. Be sure to train extra hard with your new mentor, so the next time we’re out there together, you’ll be that much closer to becoming a warrior.” She leaned forward to gently touch her nose with his forehead, and he purred quietly.

“I promise,” he murmured, determination flooding his veins. “Next time we train together, I’ll be so strong, I’ll be able to beat you when we spar.”

She chuckled softly as she nodded. “I’d hope so.”

Giving her a quick lick on the ear, he turned and squeezed back through the exit and into the clearing.

The sun was rising higher in the sky, but as Firepaw looked up, he saw the distant threat of storm clouds heading towards them. Frowning at the thought of soaking fur and muddy ground, he sighed and glanced around the clearing for Whitestorm.

It was clear within a heartbeat of looking that the silver warrior was still talking with Bluestar, seeing that Firepaw couldn’t spot him in the clearing. He also couldn’t seem to find Yellow anywhere from where he stood, her usual spot empty. Concern began to grow within him the longer it took for him to spot her thick dark ginger pelt. 

_ I don’t remember her being anywhere  _ but _ in her spot outside of Clan meetings… _ he thought with a deepening frown. Eventually, he shook his head.  _ You don’t have time to just stand around looking for her, you’ve got to go fetch Whitestorm like you promised. She’s probably just in the dirtplace anyway. _

Pushing his worries away, he began padding over to the Highrock, planning to wait outside until Whitestorm was done. Upon arriving, he took a seat and relaxed, watching as the sky grew darker and darker.

As he waited, he spotted Frostfur, Swiftkit, and the caretakers lounging in under a thick bush, obviously preparing for the incoming rain. While looking at them, he caught Raventhroat’s eye, and then saw him murmur something to Speckletail before getting up and coming towards him. 

Firepaw sat up as Raventhroat reached him, exchanging pleasant, but high strung greetings. Their previous conversation weighed heavily on his mind, but he was determined to not let it sour their friendship. 

“Hey,” Raventhroat murmured with a nervous smile. He glanced at the Highrock before continuing, “what are you doing?”

With a bit of a jolt, he realized that Raventhroat probably thought he was waiting to talk with Bluestar about what Raventhroat had told him. “Oh!” he quickly said, “I’m just waiting for Whitestorm so I can tell him that I finished my visit with Brindleface and her new kits. He’s talking with Bluestar right now, which is why I’m waiting here.”

Relief came to his friend’s face as he nodded. “So, you saw the new kits? They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“Oh, yeah,” he purred, remembering their folded ears and closed eyes, “they’re - ”

“Firepaw! Raventhroat!” The two of them turned around to see Graypaw bounding up to them from the healer’s den. “Have either of you two seen Spottedleaf today?”

They exchanged a confused glance before Raventhroat answered, “ah, yeah, I saw her come back from the forest a little while ago. I think she went towards the nursery, probably to check on the kits.” A slightly troubled look came across his face as he murmured almost to himself, “it was strange, though. She didn’t bring back any herbs with her, even though she was gone for long enough to walk the whole territory’s perimeter.”

Graypaw’s eyes grew to the size of the sun as he listened, and the fur along his back straightened. Without a word to either of them, he spun around and raced to the nursery. 

“Wait!” Firepaw tried to stop him. “Only one cat is allowed inside at a time…” His voice started out strong, but faded as he realized Graypaw was already out of earshot. “Whitestorm is going to get mad at me…”

“I’m sure he’ll under - ”

A sharp, sudden cry came from the direction of the nursery, cutting off the rest of Raventhroat’s sentence. Immediately, Bluestar and Whitestorm exited from behind the lichen, their claws out and teeth bared. “What’s happening?” Bluestar demanded.

“There was a shout from nearby the nursery,” Firepaw quickly explained, wincing when Whitestorm turned his questioning gaze on him. 

Not waiting to ask any more questions, the leader and warrior dashed towards the bramble bush, Firepaw and Raventhroat following close behind. The sight they came upon when they reached the backside of the nursery made them all freeze in their tracks.

There, laying on the ground in a growing puddle of blood, was Spottedleaf.

Graypaw stood less than a tail-length from her, gaze locked onto her matted dark tortoiseshell fur. It didn’t seem like he was actually registering what he was seeing, going by his vacant expression.

Bluestar was the first to move. “Graypaw… what happened?”

Slowly, he opened his mouth, tail moving to point towards a gaping hole in the camp’s wall that Firepaw hadn’t noticed until then. “The… the kits…” he whispered, voice faraway. 

Horror seized Firepaw as he realized what he meant. Before anyone else could react, he turned on his heel and ran into the nursery. 

The first thing he noticed was Frostfur’s nest, where her kits had been sleeping that morning, torn up and empty. 

Then the scent of blood hit his nose.

Slowly, he turned his gaze, scanning the nursery’s mossy ground, hoping beyond hope that it wasn’t what he thought it was.

His heart sank deep into grief as his gaze finally landed on a nest in the back, where five unmoving bodies lay in a pool of blood.


	19. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 17 ! We're getting real close to the end here, just a couple more chapters. I enjoyed reading all of your reactions to last chapter, so here's the result of what happened, and who exactly died. Hopefully I didn't disappoint too many of you loll.
> 
> Next chapter will be out by Friday ! Enjoy ~

“No…” Firepaw murmured. “No, no…”

“Firepaw!” Raventhroat called as he entered the den behind him, “what - ” He cut himself off as he saw the same scene before him, but instead of staying rooted in one spot, the black caretaker rushed over to Brindleface’s nest to sniff and lick the tiny bodies of the kits. Firepaw saw the exact moment hope returned in his gaze when he cried, “these three are still alive!” Gently, he picked up the living kits, one by one, and set them away from the bloody nest. 

Firepaw couldn’t help but notice that the remaining dead kit was the one neither he nor Brindleface could name. 

He startled slightly as the gentle touch of a tail fell on his shoulders, and he looked to see Bluestar had joined them inside as well, her expression grim. With little protest, he let her lead him outside, where the storm that had been building was finally breaking overhead, soaking his pelt in an instant. 

As they exited, they were both nearly shoved aside as Frostfur came barreling past them and into the nursery, her howl of grief and anger echoing across camp, drawing out every cat who had previously been inside their dens. 

Bluestar gave a small sigh before she left Firepaw’s side to climb the Highrock, announcing to all who were gathered, “Spottedleaf, Brindleface, and one of her kits are dead!” Cries of shock and sadness spread through the clearing along with growls of hatred as she continued, “Frostfur’s kits are also missing, and the whole nursery reeks of ShadowClan!”

Firepaw blinked, realizing that in his shock, he hadn’t noticed the ShadowClan scent.  _ The only thing I smelled was the - _ He broke the thought off before his mind could finish it, but he wasn’t quick enough not to feel nauseous. 

“Yellow is gone!” a voice suddenly proclaimed, and the noise in the clearing exploded. Even Bluestar herself was shocked, her usually sturdy stance faltering at the new information. “She snuck out of camp from the dirtplace!”

Eyes widening, Firepaw glanced around the clearing, and realized that they were right; he couldn’t see Yellow anywhere, and he hadn’t seen her since before he visited Brindle -

Vigorously, he shook his head.  _ I can’t think of her right now. I need to figure out where Yellow went. _

Bluestar, from her spot on the Highrock, collected herself and lifted her tail for silence. “I know many of you wish to go after both her and the killer, but we must wait.” She gestured to the sky, just as a flash of lightning went past, followed by the crash of thunder. “This storm is a big one, and I will not endanger any of my warriors to go chase a scent that will likely be gone before we even cross the ShadowClan border.” 

Complaints rose up from the clearing, and Firepaw couldn’t help but agree.  _ We shouldn’t be letting whoever is responsible for this get away!  _ he thought with a small growl.  _ Plus, what if Yellow’s in danger? The killer could have taken her hostage along with the kits, or worse! _

“Quiet!” Bluestar shouted above the noise of both the cats below her and the pounding rain. “I understand your frustration! But for now, we must mourn our losses before we make any rash decisions.” She nodded towards the nursery, where Goldenflower was gently dragging out Brindleface’s body, Speckletail following behind with the tiny dead kit in her jaws, and a heartbeat later, Whitestorm carried Spottedleaf with Graypaw dragging his paws right behind him.

Firepaw felt his whole body grow cold as he watched the three of them be set down gently in the middle of the clearing, the Clan silently parting for those carrying them. Firepaw found himself frozen to his spot as the rest of the Clan slowly began to gather around the bodies, starting their vigil as the storm raged on around them. Instead, he simply watched as Bluestar bowed her head and hopped off from the Highrock, brushing away Tigerclaw when he tried to talk to her.

It wasn’t until he realized Bluestar was heading towards  _ him _ that he startled back into reality just in time for her to say, “I’d like to speak with you for a moment.”

Suddenly incredibly nervous, he followed her one pawstep at a time until they were away from everyone else’s hearing range. He felt very out of place as they sat under the cover of a thick low hanging tree branch, like none of what was happening was real, almost like it was all some hyper realistic dream. He frowned at the ground, wondering why the ground felt so  _ wet _ until he remembered that it was pouring out.

“ _ Firepaw _ ,” Bluestar snapped, drawing his attention back to her, blinking several times to try and get rid of the fog in his brain. Her gaze softened slightly as she sighed. “I know that you need time to mourn, but I wanted to ask you where you think Yellow is right now, since you’re the one who knows her best.”

The flood of worry came back to him as he heard Yellow’s name, and he sat up straighter as he said passionately, “Yellow  _ has _ to be with ShadowClan, Bluestar! Whoever killed… whoever the murderer is must have taken Yellow with them back to ShadowClan camp because of her exile mark! She’s in as much danger as Frostfur’s kits are, so we  _ have _ to go send a search party now or else - ”

“Woah,” Bluestar murmured, lifting her tail to cut him off. “Calm down for a moment, Firepaw.” Realizing that he was panting with the speed of his speech, he nodded and took a couple slow breaths. She nodded back at him and continued, “good. Now, what you’re saying is that you don’t think Yellow is the murderer?”

Firepaw physically reeled back at the idea. “Wh… what?” He shook his head. “Of course I don’t! I  _ know _ she wouldn’t do something like that!” He frowned as it suddenly hit him. “Do… do  _ you _ think she did it…?”

“I didn’t say that - ”

“But she couldn’t have done it!” he interrupted, not caring at the moment that this was the Clan leader he was talking to. “I spoke with her before I visited… before I visited the nursery! She said she wasn’t even going to go close to the kits because she knew… she knew that queens are very protective over their newly born litters! She’s always done her best since coming here to stay away from any kit, even Swiftkit, who’s almost six moons! She wouldn’t do it, Bluestar!”

Her eyes narrowed at him as he spoke, her ear twitching every time his voice cracked with the sheer amount of emotion that was bleeding into it. Once he was done, she sighed again. “Listen to me, Firepaw. I am not the one who needs convincing that Yellow had no part in this.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Tigerclaw was speaking in low tones to Darkstripe and Longtail. “Many believe she still has loyalties to ShadowClan, even after what they did to her. Her son  _ is _ the leader, after all.” She shook her head. “But I’ve also seen her behavior since she was allowed to stay, and I personally know she wouldn’t do anything like this and that she’s too smart to think this would get her back into Brokentail’s good graces,  _ but _ , as leader, I must save my judgement for the whole truth, and right now, it’s looking very suspicious that she’s gone from camp right after three cats were killed. Do you understand what I’m saying, Firepaw?”

Slowly, he nodded. “So… what are you asking me?” he asked quietly.   


“I’m asking if you know where Yellow is at this very moment. Do you know why she’s not in camp, or where she would go?”

Firepaw swallowed and thought for a moment. “I… I’m not sure. I think she was taken by the killer to be ShadowClan’s prisoner, but now that I think about it… why didn’t they just kill her right away like you’re supposed to with an exiled cat? So… maybe the killer didn’t see her, but… she saw the killer?”

Bluestar sat up as realization came to her face. “And then she went after the killer herself…” she murmured.

He nodded vigorously, the idea becoming more and more realistic the longer he thought about it. “Yellow may have stayed away from the kits for the most part, but when ShadowClan attacked the other day, it was  _ her _ that fought off Blackfoot and protected the kits from being taken away. So, if she saw the murderer kill…” His voice caught in his throat as thoughts of what he had seen just moments ago came back to him.

Seemingly understanding him despite his sudden silence, Bluestar stood and finished what he was going to say, “so, if she saw it happen, of course she would go after the murderer herself.” She looked down to Firepaw and gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you, Firepaw. Now, go with the others and do your own share of grieving.”

“Wait!” he quickly said, standing up in case he had to follow her to continue the conversation. “Are you really not going to send a patrol to ShadowClan right now?”

Her smile turned into a disapproving frown. “Like I’ve said, it’s simply too dangerous to send anyone out right now, especially into enemy territory. A patrol will go out as soon as the rain lifts, but until then, we must wait.”

“But if Yellow really did go after the killer, then she’s on her own on enemy territory  _ right now _ ! She might have fought off Blackfoot when she was protecting the kits, but she won’t stand a chance if she goes near ShadowClan camp! They’ll  _ kill _ her!”

“It’s her own fault for leaving without bringing anyone with her,” Bluestar said, voice turning cold. “If I had seen her, I would have stopped her from going, but she gave me no choice. Now she must face the consequences for her actions.” 

Firepaw flinched, ears drawing back as horror came to him.  _ Is Bluestar really going to abandon Yellow…? _

They stared down each other until Bluestar finally sighed, closing her eyes. “Listen, Yellow is a smart cat. She knows that simply walking into ShadowClan camp means she’ll get killed. She probably has a plan, so don’t worry about her too much. Finding her will be the first priority once the storm stops.”

He knew her words were meant to be comforting, but all they did was spark a flame of anger within him. He understood what she was saying, and knew why she wouldn’t send anyone out at the moment, but he also knew that every heartbeat they spent inside the camp instead of out in the forest trying to find Yellow meant another heartbeat where it could be too late. So, instead of acknowledging her reassurances, Firepaw bowed his head and refused to look her in the eyes. 

Eventually, he heard Bluestar sigh before the sound of her receding pawsteps told him that she was finally gone. Once he knew she was far enough away, he looked back up with a new found resolve.

_ I know what I have to do. _

After a brief moment, he stood and stepped out from under the branch, into the heavy rain. With a deep breath in, he mentally prepared himself as he approached the mourning cats in the middle of the clearing. He went to Graypaw first, knowing that his friend needed him at that moment.

Graypaw looked as good as Firepaw expected him to be, which was to say, not good at all. He stood beside Spottedleaf’s unmoving body with the same vacant expression, his usually fluffy fur plastered down so he looked about twice as small as usual. When Firepaw came to stand next to him, he didn’t acknowledge him save for a tiny twitch of the ear. 

“Hey…” Firepaw murmured, gently pressing his side against Graypaw’s. 

“I saw this happening,” Graypaw said suddenly. “That dream… the one I had last night. I saw this happen.” He bowed his head, shaking slightly, though Firepaw wasn’t sure if it was because of the cold rain or because of something else. “I thought it was just another nightmare. I should have known it was a vision…” Vigorously, he shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway… I couldn’t find Spottedleaf at all this morning, so even if I had wanted to tell her, I couldn’t have…” He lifted his head and looked Firepaw in the eyes, and that’s when Firepaw saw the pure misery that swam in them. “What was the point of StarClan showing me this when I couldn’t do anything to stop it?!”

Firepaw could only stand there, speechless. He had no answers, and felt helpless that he couldn’t think of any verbal comfort. Instead, he simply leaned more heavily against his friend.  _ This isn’t your fault _ , he wished he could say, but his mouth remained shut in his grief. 

It was after a few moments that Graypaw finally broke the silence with murmured words that made Firepaw tense, “you’re going after them, aren’t you?” Before he could defend himself, Graypaw continued, “I know you, Firepaw, so don’t even try to deny it. Just…” He sighed, turning so that they were facing each other properly. “Just be careful, all right? I’m… I’m not ready to lose another cat I care about.”

_ Neither am I _ , he thought firmly.  _ Which is why I have to do this… _ To reassure him, he leaned forward and nuzzled Graypaw’s cheek, lingering long enough to let him know just how reluctant he was to leave his friend when he was grieving so heavily. But when he pulled back, he saw enough conviction in his friend’s eyes that he knew he was going to be all right by himself. With one last nod, he slowly turned around and walked away. When he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Graypaw settling himself down beside Redtail and Willowpelt, the image spurring him onward.

But before he left, he had one more thing to do. 

Knowing that there was no more delaying it, Firepaw quietly walked up to where Brindleface and her kit lay. Mindful to avoid Frostfur, whose sobs of pure grief he could hear from a few tail-lengths away, he sat down beside his now former mentor and buried his nose into her fur, smelling her rapidly fading scent under the harsh smell of rain and blood. 

“I’m going to keep our promise,” he rasped so quietly even he couldn’t quite hear himself above the rain. “Next time we see each other… I’ll be the best, strongest warrior I can be. I won’t let you down…”

Lingering for just one more moment, he eventually pulled himself away, turning to walk towards the dirtplace, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t being followed. 

The dirtplace was rank, as always, but Firepaw managed to get a hold of Yellow’s scent, following it to a small hole in the camp wall she must have used to escape. Upon finding it, Firepaw took a deep breath, knowing that as soon as he stepped outside, there was no going back. 

He took a step forward.

“Wait.”

Firepaw froze as the voice sounded from behind him, turning around to see Sandstorm frowning at him. Annoyance flared in him as he recovered from the shock of being found out, muttering, “you can’t stop me, and by the time you tell anyone I left, I’ll already be in ShadowClan territory.”

He expected her to spat at him about how dumb and foolish he was being, but instead, she simply sighed and said, “I’m not stopping you. I’m coming with you.”

Blinking, he balked. “What?!”

“I said I’m coming with you,” she repeated with a more familiar scowl, “and  _ you _ can’t stop  _ me _ .”

“But… why?”

A quiet heartbeat passed before she answered, her head bowed, “those kits are my siblings, and Brindleface was my aunt.” She looked up, green eyes blazing. “And there’s no way I’m letting whoever did this get away, not after what ShadowClan has already done to my family.”

Firepaw remembered her grief when her father, Lionheart, had been killed just a few days ago. The truth Ravenpaw had told him threatened to spill out of him as he wanted to use the fact that Lionheart wasn’t killed by ShadowClan to get her to turn back and let him do this on his own, but he stopped himself. For one, he didn’t know if telling Sandstorm about Tigerclaw right then was a good idea, and secondly, he knew that it would be unfair to her if he refused to let her come with. 

_ She’s lost too much for me to deny her this _ .

So, he sighed heavily, and gave a sharp nod. “All right, you can come with,” he muttered, pretending to not notice the grateful look she gave him.

“We’d better get going, then,” she said, brushing past him and through the hole without hesitating, which had Firepaw scrambling to catch up with her, feeling the rough gorse scrape against his pelt as he pushed through behind her.

It was still raining just as heavily as before, but the tall trees provided enough shelter for them to get some momentary relief from it, which Firepaw knew wasn’t going to last, thinking of the open marshland of ShadowClan’s territory. 

“You were going to find Yellow first, right?” Sandstorm asked as they walked at a brisk pace to the ShadowClan border. “I mean, her scent was everywhere in the dirtplace, and I can still smell it heading the same way we are.”

Firepaw nodded, a brief flash of worry coming over him as he realized he didn’t know Sandstorm’s opinion on the old molly.

“And you don’t think she had any part in this, don’t you?” she continued before he could ask her the same thing.

After a momentary pause, he shook his head. “No, I really don’t. I think she’s in danger, which is why I couldn’t wait until this storm clears.” He looked at her, but couldn’t get a good read on her expression from his angle. “...Do you?”

“If I’m going to be honest,” she murmured, swiftly climbing over a fallen tree branch, “I’m not sure at this point. I mean, I’ve seen the way she looked at the kits, the way she avoided them whenever they were in the clearing, and protected them when the ShadowClan raid happened, but it’s still pretty suspicious that the moment she’s gone…  _ this _ happens.” She finally turned her head to look at him, and he saw that her expression was carefully blank, though she couldn’t quite hide the rage from her eyes. “But right now, I’m holding off judgement until I’m certain one way or another. So, if we find her, just know that I’ll be a whisker away from tearing into her fur the whole time.”

Firepaw swallowed, but nodded. He reminded himself to keep an eye on her once they passed the border, just in case she did anything rash.

They lapsed into silence as they continued onward, but as they passed the small stream that would eventually join the river, something made Sandstorm stop in her tracks. Firepaw stopped with her, but when he opened his mouth to ask why they had stopped, she lifted her tail to quiet him and sniffed the air. Confused, he followed suit, and quickly picked up what she had sensed.

_ RiverClan scent! _ he thought in a panic.  _ What are they doing here? _

It seemed that Sandstorm had similar thoughts, the fur along her spine standing up as she looked at their surroundings. Firepaw did the same, and after a moment, they both honed in on the sudden rustling of a bush. They spun to face the sound, at the ready for anything, but when Firepaw saw a familiar brown tom emerge, he felt himself relaxing.

“Stop right there!” Sandstorm spat, and the tom flinched to a halt. “What are you doing in ThunderClan territory?!”

“Sandstorm, wait!” Firepaw said, moving to stand between the two of them. Ignoring her confusion, he turned to face the RiverClan warrior. “You’re Loudbelly, right?”

The tom blinked, but only nodded stiffly in reply, his fur standing up as he regarded Sandstorm’s still hostile stance.

“Firepaw,” Sandstorm hissed quietly at him, still staring down Loudbelly, “what’re you doing? You know RiverClan is in an alliance with ShadowClan!”

He flicked his tail at her, but overall ignored her as he continued to speak with Loudbelly, “you’re the one who stood up at the last Gathering because ShadowClan took your kit, right? What was her name…?” He paused as he tried to remember. “Tansykit…?”

“ _ Tawny _ kit,” Loudbelly corrected lowly. He didn’t look particularly pleased to be reminded about her. “And yes, that was me. They said they took her from WindClan and made her into an apprentice, but she’s only four moons old!” He squinted at Firepaw. “...Do I know you?”

He shook his head. “No, we haven’t officially met, but I overheard your name and saw what you did last Gathering. I also know how angry you were when Stormstar agreed to Brokentail’s deal.”

“It was a mousebrained decision!” Loudbelly spat. “He didn’t even ask his own Clan about their feelings, just up and decided this was the best thing for RiverClan right now. He wouldn’t even hear me out when I confronted him after the Gathering!” He slid his gaze to Sandstorm, who had relaxed, but only slightly. “That’s why I’m here, not because I’m acting on his or Brokenstar’s behalf, but for my daughter! I’m sick of sitting around, knowing she’s in danger, but not being able to do anything about it.” His blue eyes glowed in the shadows as he said with danger in his voice, “so I’m going to ShadowClan to take her back, even if it gets me killed. And don’t you even think about standing in my way. Escort me to the border if you don’t trust me, just let me do this.”

Both Firepaw and Sandstorm were quiet as they processed this. Firepaw glanced back at Sandstorm and knew by her expression that they had come to the same conclusion.  _ Three’s better than two when trying to infiltrate enemy territory. _

After sharing a solemn nod, he took a deep breath and turned back to Loudbelly. “We’re not going to stop you,” he murmured. “In fact, I think we could all help each other out.”

Loudbelly furrowed his brow, relaxing in his confusion. “...What are you talking about?”

Firepaw and Sandstorm spent the next few moments catching Loudbelly up on the truth behind ShadowClan and what they had done to ThunderClan in the last couple of days, as well as sharing the fate of Yellow and the reason they were also heading into ShadowClan territory. Loudbelly took the information surprisingly well.

“So…” he started hesitantly after they finished, “you’re sneaking out of your own camp to track down Yellowfang? Or, Yellow, I suppose she’s called now.” He shook his head. “It’s so much worse than I had thought… Why didn’t Bluestar say anything about the exiles and the lie of Brokentail’s lives?”

Firepaw shifted uneasily. “I… guess she thought it wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Loudbelly shook his head again. “I know Stormstar… It would have made all the difference.”

Sandstorm took a step forward, tail lashing impatiently. “Who cares if Bluestar made a mistake? What matters is that we’re wasting time just sitting here.” She fixed Loudbelly with a hard stare. “So, are you coming with us?”

The RiverClan warrior sighed, but nodded. A small smile came over his lips as he looked between the two of them. “Going with two apprentices beats going alone, I suppose.”

“What?!” Sandstorm balked. “ _ He’s  _ the only apprentice here! I’ll have you know I became a warrior a couple of days ago!”

Loudbelly raised a brow, but didn’t say anything, instead gesturing for the two of them to lead the way. Sandstorm grumbled as she and Firepaw restarted their walk, keeping an eye on Loudbelly as they went.

It wasn’t long until they reached the thunderous road that separated ShadowClan from ThunderClan. Yellow’s scent faded under the wet stench of the road as they crouched next to it, glancing both ways for signs of cars. “Go!” Sandstorm hissed suddenly, and Firepaw had no choice but to dash after her across the slippery surface and into the muddy ground of ShadowClan territory, Loudbelly quickly following from behind.

They paused to rest, Firepaw’s heartbeat pumping loudly in his ears from the adrenaline.  _ I don’t think I’ll ever get used to crossing these things _ , he thought bitterly with a sigh, glancing up to survey the sky. While the rain had lightened some, it was still a constant presence on his back, and thunder still rolled every now and then. He knew that they had to find Yellow and get the truth out of her before Bluestar finally set out the patrol, or else they ran the risk of the patrol finding Yellow before them and attacking her on sight. He desperately hoped Tigerclaw wasn’t on the patrol, trusting that Bluestar would have the common sense to not bring him with.

Loudbelly sighed deeply before he took a step forward. “I thank you both for guiding me here, but now it’s my turn to take the lead. Stay alert, now. This is foreign territory for all of us.”

Sandstorm flicked her tail in irritation, obviously miffed about having to follow a RiverClan warrior, but said nothing as she and Firepaw fell in line behind him. Firepaw, on the other paw, didn’t mind that Loudbelly was leading, since he was far older and more experienced than them. 

They continued their silent, tense walk through the muddy marshland of ShadowClan, Firepaw wincing in disgust every time his paws sunk into the ground. The clouds eventually began to lighten along with the rain, until it was barely a drizzle. Firepaw grew more nervous as time went on and they found nothing new, the thought of encountering a ShadowClan or ThunderClan patrol keeping him on edge. He was so tense that when Sandstorm made a noise of exclamation, he almost jumped out of his pelt.

“I smell something!” she cried, to which Loudbelly tried to hush her, but both her and Firepaw were far too busy huddling around the newfound scent to listen to him.

“What is it?” Firepaw asked, opening his mouth to try and catch the scent for himself, but only managing to inhale more of the marshy scent of ShadowClan.

“It’s kitscent! And…” She paused and grew suddenly more subdued. “And… I can smell some blood, too.”

This caught Loudbelly’s attention. Firepaw had to step aside to make room for him as he ran over to smell for himself. After a brief moment, a sober expression crossed his face as he nodded. “I can smell it, too…” 

Firepaw watched helplessly as rage slowly took over each of their expressions, and he was suddenly worried about what would happen when they did eventually find Yellow. 

As if on cue, Loudbelly swerved his head to look towards a lone ash tree, its branches dead overhead, and he narrowed his eyes. A low growl came from his throat, and Firepaw only had time to follow his gaze to see a familiar dark ginger coat taking shelter inside the hollow trunk before Loudbelly, closely followed by Sandstorm, pounced.


	20. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 18 is here ! We're soo close yall, one more chapter then an epilogue of sorts, and then the first book will be all done ! 
> 
> Next chapter will be up by Wednesday ! Enjoy ~

“Wait!” Firepaw cried, but he was too late to stop them from pinning Yellow down.

“Where are the kits?!” Sandstorm spat, unsheathed claws poised to strike if the old molly made any wrong move. “What did you do to them?!”

Yellow yowled as she was held, squirming to try to get free to no avail. “I knew I would get blamed for this!” she muttered as she tried to get a swipe at Loudbelly, who easily dodged it and made his grip tighter. 

“There’s blood scent here!” Loudbelly growled. “What have you done with them?!”

“I haven’t done anything to them!” She squirmed in their grasps one last time before groaning and giving up the fight, going lax under them. “...But I do know where they are.”

Firepaw had seen enough. As they were momentarily distracted by Yellow’s confession, he sprung forward and knocked the both of them off of her, standing firmly between them with a warning glare. “I thought we were going to  _ listen _ to her before attacking!” he hissed at Sandstorm and Loudbelly. 

Loudbelly at least had the courtesy to look somewhat apologetic, but Sandstorm stood firm in her glaring at Yellow. “Yes,” she muttered to Firepaw while holding her gaze, “that was  _ before _ we smelled blood and found her not even a tree-length away!”

“Of course I was here!” Yellow hissed as she slowly stood back up. “I smelled the kit blood, too, but the rain had been so heavy that I  _ had _ to take shelter. Besides...” She glanced behind her before continuing, “this was as close as I could go. If I followed them any further, I’d be in the heart of ShadowClan camp.”

Firepaw stilled as he followed her gaze. “So… ShadowClan’s camp is just beyond there?”

She nodded, seeming pleased that he was following along and letting her explain. “Yup, just past these bushes, a few tree-lengths forward, and you’re there.”

“Why were you following them?” Loudbelly asked with his eyes narrowed. 

Yellow glanced at him and raised a brow. “You’re a RiverClan tom, aren’t you?” she asked, but kept talking before he could respond, “what are you doing following these two ThunderClan cats around? I thought RiverClan and ShadowClan had an alliance.”

Loudbelly began to growl again, clearly agitated at both the reminder that Stormstar had taken Brokentail’s deal and that she had ignored his question entirely.

Sensing an escalation in tensions, Firepaw quickly stepped forward to explain for the RiverClan tom, “his kit was taken, too, after ShadowClan ran WindClan off their territory. He’s with us to take her back.”

She nodded slowly before turning her gaze to both Sandstorm and Firepaw. “And what are you two doing here by yourselves? I doubt Bluestar sent such a pitiful patrol to get the kits back.”

Suddenly sheepish, Firepaw didn’t have enough time to find the words the answer her before Sandstorm took a step forward with her ears pinned back. “How about you stop dodging  _ our _ questions and start answering them first before I rip your ears off?”

To nearly everyone’s surprise, Yellow laughed at that. “All right,” she wheezed as she caught her breath, “I’ll talk, just ’cause I like your spunk.” 

Firepaw saw Sandstorm’s tail lash, but she didn’t say anything, letting the old molly speak for once.

Sighing, Yellow began her tale, “I had a bad feeling this morning when I woke up, and when I saw that Graypaw was on edge as well, I figured that something was going to happen. I saw Spottedleaf come back to camp and walk straight towards the nursery, so I followed her because I wanted to talk, see if she had seen anything.” She paused to shake her head. “I didn’t get to her in time. She was already dead by the time I reached the nursery, along with Brindleface. The kits were gone, too”

“Who killed them?” Firepaw asked, hearing the dark tone in his voice as he did so.

Yellow gave him a leveled look before she said simply, “it was Clawface. Wasn’t really much of a surprise to see that he was the one sent to do it, since he’s the most loyal cat to Brokentail.”

_ Clawface? _ He thought, trying to remember if he had heard of or seen him before, but all he came up with was a blank.

Loudbelly, however, seemed to recognize the name and hissed under his breath, “why am I also not surprised… He’s always been a cat I found untrustworthy.”

“So, you had  _ nothing _ to do with this? You just… followed this Clawface out of camp to, what, take the kits back yourself? Why?” Sandstorm demanded, clearing impatient about the fact that the conversation had been sidetracked a bit.

Yellow waved her tail at her to signal her to calm down before continuing, “yes, I did follow Clawface out of camp, though not at first. I  _ was _ going to call for help, but I knew that if I was the one to do it, all the cats who still distrusted me would see what had happened, would smell the ShadowClan scent, and blame me for helping, and I knew that there was no time for that. So, I snuck out from the dirtplace so that my scent wouldn’t mix with Clawface’s.”

“But we found out that you’d snuck out, and cats  _ still _ blamed you,” Firepaw spoke up, trying to understand her reasoning for making herself look guilty.

“I knew there was a high risk of that happening, but, at the time, I saw no other option. Clawface was getting farther and farther away with the kits and the storm was getting closer, I  _ had _ to go after him right then so that his scent wasn’t lost in the rain.”

“We couldn’t smell Clawface’s scent while coming here,” Loudbelly gently interjected. “We could only smell yours, which is how we knew where to go.”

Yellow nodded, and Firepaw finally understood.  _ She knew we wouldn’t be able to track Clawface by the time Bluestar sent out her patrol, so  _ she _ laid down the scent trail for us, even though she knew it would make her look like an accomplice… _ A new sense of admiration came over him for the old molly, and he relaxed as he felt the tension fade from around them, both Sandstorm and Loudbelly coming to the same conclusion.

“The kits… do you think they’re all right?” Sandstorm asked quietly after a moment of silence. 

“I know we all smelled the kit blood, but there shouldn’t be anything to worry about,” Yellow reassured. “There wasn’t enough blood scent for there to be too big of a wound. It likely that one of the kits was being too loud and he gave them a scratch to make them be quiet. Besides, Brokentail clearly wanted them alive and relatively unharmed so they could serve to be good apprentices for him.”

Loudbelly growled lowly in the back of his throat. “We need to save them,  _ all  _ of them.”

“We will,” Firepaw said firmly. He looked to Yellow as he asked, “the camp’s just past these bushes, you said?”

Yellow narrowed her eyes at all of them. “If you think I’m gonna let an apprentice, an only recently made warrior, and a warrior blinded by rage for his kit go into ShadowClan’s camp  _ alone _ , then you need to think again.”

“Do you expect us to wait for the ThunderClan patrol, then?” Loudbelly countered. “That could take too much time, time we don’t have.”

“We have plenty of time, so stop being impatient and listen to me,” Yellow hissed back, stunning the warrior into silence. “ShadowClan won’t be doing anything to those kits today. One, the storm has made everything far too wet to do any proper training, and Brokentail knows as much, so they won’t be forced to train at least until tomorrow. Two, the Clan’s trust in Brokentail is unstable enough that he wouldn’t dare directly harm kits in the middle of camp for no reason and risk losing control because that was the last straw. And three,ThunderClan isn’t our only option when it comes to help.”

“What do you mean?” Firepaw asked.

Yellow smirked. “What I mean is, I’m not the only one who was falsely exiled from ShadowClan, and I know for a fact these cats would want some of the action.”

“How do you know that?” Sandstorm asked, stepping forward. “You haven’t been inside ShadowClan camp since you were exiled over a moon ago.”

“Yes, and I’ll admit that before now, I was doubtful about any other cat was going through what I did, but I had my suspicions that either Brokentail would get sick of having those who couldn’t help themselves stay in camp, or a cat would get sick of tolerating everything that was happening and speak their mind. It wasn’t until I was following Clawface’s scent that I smelled other ShadowClan cat scents, cats who would never be outside of camp otherwise.”

“Who?” Firepaw asked slowly.

“The elders and the caretakers,” she answered simply. 

“That would make sense,” Loudbelly murmured darkly. “Elders serve no use to Brokentail if he just wants to use ShadowClan as his own personal army, and since he’s making all the kits into apprentices early, there’d be no need for caretakers.”

Yellow nodded. “Exactly.”

“How are elders and caretakers going to help us take back the kits? They can’t fight!” Sandstorm protested, tail lashing again.

“You’d be surprised,” Yellow said with a small smile. “They were all once warriors themselves once, even if that might have been long ago. And if a helpless old healer like me can survive on my own for a moon and fend off a fully fledged warrior, these cats will be more than enough help for us.”

“Then we’ll welcome their help,” Firepaw said firmly. “Where are they?”

Yellow flicked her tail towards back where they came from. “It’ll only take a few moments for me to track them down, but I better do it alone. No matter how much they want to get back at Brokentail, they won’t trust me if I come with strangers from other Clans.”

They all nodded, hearing her reason for what it was. 

“All right then, you all stay here while I get them, and keep an eye out for that ThunderClan patrol,” she said as she shook off her pelt and began to head back towards the road. As she passed them and before she disappeared into the scattering of bushes in the marsh, Firepaw heard her mutter, “don’t want them missing us and rushing into ShadowClan camp before we’re ready.”

“Can we really trust her to come back with help?” Loudbelly murmured quietly once the old molly was completely out of earshot. 

“Of course we can,” Firepaw said, restraining himself from snapping.  _ This is a senior warrior from another Clan, and he doesn’t know Yellow like we do, _ he thought, but when he glanced towards Sandstorm and saw a similar look of questioning on her face, he internally corrected himself,  _ well… not like  _ I _ do. _

It was after a few moments of silence that they heard the telltale sign of cats heading their way, and they all tensed and smelled the air to see if they posed any threat. Firepaw relaxed only slightly when he caught their scent.

“It’s the ThunderClan patrol,” Sandstorm whispered. 

Firepaw nodded and turned to Loudbelly. “You stay here and continue to wait for Yellow to come back. Sandstorm and I will talk with the patrol and catch them up on what’s happening.”

Though obviously reluctant to be left alone in foreign territory, he nodded and settled himself beside the dead ash tree. Firepaw and Sandstorm exchanged a glance before they slowly headed towards the incoming group. Once they were out of sight from Loudbelly, Sandstorm leaned in to whisper, “what will we do if they’re too mad at us for sneaking out to listen…?” 

Firepaw gave her a smile that probably came off as more nervous than reassuring. “Then we’ll just have to make them listen to us, and take our punishment after the kits are safe and accounted for.”

He heard her give a mirthless chuckle in response right before they emerged to come face-to-face with the ThunderClan patrol.

As was expected, Bluestar led the patrol, closely followed by Whitestorm and Runningfoot. As they came into view, the last two members of the patrol - Redtail and Willowpelt - jumped out and growled at the both of them, but quickly stopped once they realized who they were. Firepaw relaxed a bit inside once he realized that Tigerclaw nor any of his followers were a part of the patrol, but couldn’t help tensing up again as soon as Bluestar set her narrowed gaze upon him and Sandstorm.

“I can’t say that I’m much surprised about seeing you out here, Firepaw, not after our last conversation,” she started lowly. “But you, Sandstorm? I didn’t expect you to leave against orders as well.”

“She was just following me,” Firepaw defended, but was cut off as Sandstorm shook her head and took a step forward. 

“I went on my own accord,” she said, bowing her head and averting her gaze from Bluestar as she spoke. “I had the chance to stop him, but instead, I went with him because… those kits are my siblings, and… I couldn’t bare to lose anymore of my family.”

Firepaw swallowed and stepped up so that they stood together under Bluestar’s gaze, matching Sandstorm’s respectful posture. “We’ll accept whatever punishment from you when we get back to camp, but, please, let us be a part of this fight.”

Bluestar was silent for a solid heartbeat longer before she sighed quietly and asked, “I assume you found Yellow, then?”

Lifting his head up, Firepaw smiled triumphantly. “Yes, we did.”

He and Sandstorm spent the next few moments explaining what Yellow had explained to them, and he was pleased to see the understanding slowly come to each of their faces. At the end, the only one to still have a look of disbelief on their face was Runningfoot.

“Yellow is recruiting more cats exiled from ShadowClan to help us?” the light brown tabby asked with suspicion. “How do we know that they were all falsely exiled like Yellow? What if we’re gaining help from cats who were right to be exiled?”

“We have to assume that because the one doing the exiling is a cat who should have been exiled himself that none of them deserved the fate they were given,” Bluestar answered before Firepaw could think of anything to say. She turned her gaze to Runningfoot as she said, “in order to have the most chance of winning this fight, we must trust Yellow like Firepaw has.”

Runningfoot looked like he had more to say, but only dipped his head towards Bluestar and looked away. 

Looking satisfied with his reaction, Bluestar turned back to Firepaw and Sandstorm. “Take us to the meeting place.”

A bit reluctantly, he and Sandstorm led the patrol back to the dead ash tree, and when they all immediately tensed up again at the sight of Loudbelly waiting at the location, Firepaw was at least prepared to stand between them before anymore fighting could happen. “Wait! He’s here to help us, too!” he insisted as Sandstorm stood by him and nodded along.

Bluestar had her fur spiked and her ears pinned back as she glared at Loudbelly. “Why is a RiverClan warrior going to help us? I thought they were pretty content with being under ShadowClan control.”

Before Firepaw could explain, Loudbelly stood and slowly took several steps towards them, head bowed, though that didn’t stop the patrol from preparing themselves just in case he made a wrong move. “Bluestar,” he started slowly, “I understand why you’d be confused, but I want you to know that I’ve always opposed RiverClan’s agreement with ShadowClan, which is why I’m here unbeknownst to my Clanmates, just like these two.”

Bluestar regarded the RiverClan warrior for a moment before saying, “you were the tom who spoke out at the last Gathering when Stormstar took Brokentail’s deal, weren’t you? You said something about… ShadowClan taking your kit?”

A brief flash of anger passed over Loudbelly’s face before he visibly forced himself to relax. “Yes, that’s right. And I’m here to take her back. It was a coincidence running into these two, but I’m glad I did. I was too blinded by my rage for both my Clan and ShadowClan to have thought of any good plan… I would have probably rushed right in on my own and gotten myself killed.” He looked to Firepaw and Sandstorm and gave them a slow, appreciative nod, to which they returned easily.

“... I have just one question for you,” Bluestar murmured, drawing all the attention back to her. “Why, exactly, did Stormstar accept Brokentail’s deal? What is happening in RiverClan that seems so dire, he wouldn’t hesitate to side with a cat who steals kits and forces them to become apprentices?”

Loudbelly held her gaze for only a brief moment before he looked to the ground. “That… is not my place to say. Though he may make bad decisions, I still have enough loyalty to my leader that I won’t tell another Clan something he obviously wants to remain hidden. My apologies.”

Firepaw held his breath as they all waited for Bluestar’s reaction, but when the time came where he expected some sort of outburst, it didn’t come. Instead, she drew out a sigh and nodded slowly. “I can accept that answer,” she said, gesturing for the others in her patrol to finally stand down, “and I can respect your loyalty to Stormstar, even if this whole situation gets under my pelt.”

When she didn’t continue after a heartbeat, Loudbelly lifted his head and carefully asked, “so…?”

“So,” she exhaled with the beginnings of a smile, “we’ll help you get back your kit, as long as you help get back ours.”

Loudbelly’s lips cracked open in his own form of a smile as he answered, “of course.”

“Ah, I see everything’s settled then,” Yellow’s voice suddenly cut in, causing everyone to turn to see her reappear, three skinny and matted shapes following behind her. “That’s good; don’t want to waste more time, after all.”

Firepaw blinked as he took in the sight of the supposedly exiled ShadowClan cats. One was an old gray tom, his exile mark visible from his flank, and he was so skinny that Firepaw could count each of his ribs. Another was a small pale ginger tabby molly who only seemed to be a few moons older than Sandstorm. Her exile mark was also on her flank, though it wasn’t nearly as clean as the first one, its jagged lines making Firepaw cringe internally. The last cat was a tom whose pelt was black as night and whose exile mark stood out like an ugly star on his chest. He didn’t seem as weak or easily frightened as the other two, but after a few moments of watching him, Firepaw noticed that he was hiding a faint cough that would occasionally come up. All of them kept their eyes on everyone, though Firepaw noticed their gaze kept getting drawn back to Bluestar’s intimidating form.

“Everyone, these are the cats I was talking about,” Yellow started, and flicked her tail to each corresponding cat as she introduced them. “This is Ash, formally Ashfur. He was an elder before Brokentail decided he didn’t need them anymore. And this here is Dawn, formally Dawncloud. She was a caretaker, but… well, I think you all know why Brokentail doesn’t need caretakers. And, finally, we have Night, formally Nightpelt. He was a senior warrior, but couldn’t stand living in ShadowClan like it is, and was exiled by speaking out.”

It was then that Firepaw noticed that Yellow seemed far more subdued than she had before she left, her shoulders drooping like she was carrying a great weight, but before he could ask her anything, Runningfoot spoke up with narrowed eyes, “ _ this _ is the help we were waiting for? They can all barely stand, much less fight!”

“I… hate to admit it, but I have to agree,” Redtail added on quietly. “If we’re going to be attacking ShadowClan, don’t we need cats who can fight on their own? They might only drag us down…”

Before any of the former ShadowClan cats could respond, Willowpelt took a step forward and lashed her tail. “What are you two talking about?” she snapped. “We’re going to be attacking the heart of ShadowClan territory, so we’re going to need  _ every _ cat we can get, even if they can’t fight as well as you two by themselves!”

Runningfoot and Redtail blinked, exchanged a glance, and lowered their heads in admonishment. 

Yellow dipped her head towards Willowpelt before she murmured, “it’s true that this may not look like the best of armies, but with the plan that we’ve come up with, there may not even be need for us former ShadowClan cats to fight.”

Bluestar raised an elegant brow. “Then do tell us of this plan, we’ll be sure to listen carefully.” She shot a warning glare toward Runningfoot, and to a lesser extent to Redtail, who looked away and kept their heads down.

Chuckling a wheezing laugh, the old molly quickly shared her plan, which made the furs on the back of Firepaw’s neck tingle with excitement.

Once she was done, Bluestar gave a sharp nod and glanced around at the group. “All right then, does everyone understand their part of the plan?” Once she got a nod from each cat, she turned to Yellow. “Then it’s settled. Lead us to the camp.”


	21. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is ! The last official chapter ! Don't worry, we still have a short epilogue to help conclude this first book, but then it'll be all done ! 
> 
> Overall, I'm not wholly satisfied with this chapter in that there were a Lot of moving parts that had to be addressed, but I think I did about as well as I could have, so there's at least that.
> 
> Epilogue will be up tomorrow, since it's only just about 2k words ! Enjoy ~

Firepaw and Sandstorm crept alongside the wall of bramble that lined the outside of ShadowClan’s camp, moving towards the spot Yellow had instructed them about. Their pelts stank of toadstools so their ThunderClan scent wouldn’t alert any cat inside the camp of their presence if a stray wind decided to blow their scent towards their enemy.

It wasn’t long before they spotted the part in the wall that was far thicker than the bramble around it and stopped to get into position, ready for the signal. From their quiet spot, if Firepaw concentrated hard enough, he could hear the small cries of kits just beyond the wall. He tossed a glance towards Sandstorm and was relieved to find her restrained, though it looked like she heard the kit sounds as well and she was far from pleased about it. 

As they waited, Firepaw felt himself get anxious. “... Do you think this’ll work?” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

Sandstorm raised a brow at him in amusement. “Oh?” she whispered back with a teasing tone, “are we losing faith in Yellow’s flawless plan-making abilities at the last moment?”

“Of course not!” Firepaw’s ear twitched as he shifted where he sat crouched. “It’s just… what if something goes wrong, and they end up getting captured and killed. What if we get captured? What’ll happen to us then? What if  _ Bluestar _ is captured?”

He felt the gentle weight of Sandstorm’s tail upon his flank. “Hey, it’s no good if all you think about is all the bad stuff that  _ might _ happen,” she murmured in a surprisingly calm voice that had Firepaw relax slightly. “How about you think of all the  _ good _ stuff that might happen? Like this plan working perfectly, us chasing Brokentail out of ShadowClan, and taking all the stolen kits back. I think that’s a much better thing to think about than worrying over all the bad things that probably won’t even happen.”

Firepaw blinked at her, taken aback that it was  _ Sandstorm _ who was telling him all this. “... Thank you,” he whispered quietly before focusing back on the bramble wall in front of them.

“Yeah… just don’t mention it, all right?” she muttered back before she also zoned in on their task.

He had to hide his smile by ducking his head so she wouldn’t see it.

A few moments of silence later, a long and loud yowl sounded from where the entrance of the camp was, closely followed by several more yowls in a scattering of directions. Firepaw and Sandstorm exchanged a firm glance.

_ That’s the signal! _

As quickly and quietly as they could, they approached the thick bramble wall and listened hard to what was happening on the other side. Firepaw could hear cats exiting the dens and gathering in the main clearing, their confused shouts echoing past the barrier. All confusion stopped, however, when a singular, familiar voice rose above the others.

“What are you all standing around for?!” Brokentail cried from someplace higher than the others, most likely ShadowClan’s version of the Highrock. “We’re under attack! Everyone go intercept them before they have a chance to get into camp! Senior warriors, around me!”

As soon as he heard the retreating pawsteps of the warriors who were sent into the marshland, Firepaw heard another battle cry, this time from the other end of camp, and all noise became indistinguishable.

Cautiously, Firepaw dug himself a big enough hole through the bramble bush to fit his head, poking through to survey the status of the camp. With bright glee, he realized that the newest battle cry had come from Bluestar and her patrol, who were storming the camp through several holes they mashed through the camp border. ShadowClan cats were confused, not knowing whether to stay and fight off the cats in camp, or follow Brokentail’s previous order of driving off the cats in the forest, who were still shouting their own battle cries just beyond the camp wall. Brokentail himself seemed at a loss for what to order his own cats to do, his silence behind three large senior warriors causing even more confusion inside the camp.

Firepaw ducked his head back and smirked at Sandstorm. “Everything’s going perfectly so far,” he whispered in excitement. “With Bluestar’s patrol attacking from the inside and Yellow’s patrol running around on the outside, now’s the perfect chance to grab the kits!”

Sandstorm nodded, her own smirk shining on her face. “Then what’re we waiting for?”

Together, the two of them clawed at the bramble bush until they could both slide through easily, entering the camp without drawing any attention to themselves. Firepaw glanced to the side and saw what Yellow had described to them; a shallow hollow in the ground covered by a sharp thorn bush.

_ The nursery! _

With a quick glance around to make sure they had not been spotted (he saw Whitestorm tackle Blackfoot to the ground, pinning him there so he couldn’t escape), Firepaw and Sandstorm darted into the hollow and blinked to let their eyes adjust to the darkness.

Crouching in one of the corners was a young black molly with wide blue eyes, a small dark gray kit whose eyes and ears hadn’t even opened yet mewling beside her belly. In the other corner, hidden behind a ferocious looking tortoiseshell molly, were the four kits, seemingly unharmed save for the small amount of blood Firepaw could see was on Brackenkit’s ear. There was also a small gray kit that Firepaw didn’t recognize among them who stared at him and Sandstorm with dull green eyes, and his quietness had the fur on the back of Firepaw’s pelt standing on end.

“You won’t take him from me!” the tortoiseshell molly screeched, and that was when Firepaw recognized her as one of the cats he had faced when ShadowClan had attacked ThunderClan a few days prior. She had been the one who was attacking the elder’s den. “He’s  _ mine _ ! You’ve already taken him from me once, I  _ won’t _ let you do that to me again!”

Firepaw and Sandstorm exchanged confused glances before turning back to the riled up molly. “We’re not here to take ShadowClan kits,” he reassured. “We’re just here for those four kits behind you. They’re ThunderClan’s, so - ”

“I don’t care about these four!” the molly spat. “You can have them as long as you don’t take Badgerkit!”

Firepaw blinked. “Of course, we wouldn’t dream of taking away your - ”

“Fernshade,” the black molly in the other corner spoke up, slowly standing and pushing her kit behind her, “this has gone on for long enough… You need to let him go.”

The tortoiseshell molly - Fernshade - spun around to face the other molly. “This isn’t any of your business, Darkflower! You wouldn’t understand what I’ve had to go through!”

“You’re right, I don’t understand. I’ve never lost my kit in battle, and I hope I never do…” Darkflower glanced behind her at the tiny dark gray bundle, mewing louder now that his mother wasn’t beside him. Closing her eyes briefly, she turned back to Fernshade. “But this is not the way to handle your grief! You  _ know _ that’s not Badgerkit, Fernshade.”

“It is!” Fernshade cried, her figure shaking violently. “It is him! StarClan took him before his time and as repayment, they put his spirit in the body of this kit! I  _ know _ it’s him!”

“You know that’s not possible, Fernshade,” Darkflower murmured, but her soft voice only seemed to agitate Fernshade even more.

Sandstorm, clearly having enough of this confusing argument, took a step forward, her tail lashing. “What are you two talking about?” she hissed before gesturing to the small gray kit who still sat motionless beside the ThunderClan kits. “Is that ShadowClan’s kit or not?”

Before Fernshade could answer, Darkflower took a quick step forward. “He is not. That is Eaglekit. He was one of the WindClan kits Brokenstar had us take a moon ago when we attacked their camp. Fernshade’s real kit, Badgerkit, had been made an apprentice, but… died during the battle, so when we brought Eaglekit to her, she was too stricken by grief to realize he wasn’t Badgerkit. I… didn’t say anything, but now I can’t hold it in any longer.” She rounded back on Fernshade, who looked to be shaking in her fury. “You can’t keep thinking this, Fernshade! It’s not right, and for both your sake and that kit’s sake, you need to let these cats take him!”

Firepaw gaped at the story Darkflower unfolded before them, and could only watch as Fernshade violently shook her head, as if that could block out Darkflower’s words. “No, no… that’s not true!” she cried, lifting her head up to glare at all of them. “If I can’t keep Badgerkit…” - slowly, she backed up so that she stood over all five of the kits, her claws unsheathing beside them - “then you can’t have  _ any _ of these kits!”

Heart lurching, Firepaw had only time to blink before Sandstorm had launched herself right into Fernshade, catching her off guard and pushing her away from all the kits with a nasty yowl. “You will not harm a single  _ hair _ on any of their pelts!” Sandstorm spat as she tried to wrestle Fernshade into a firm hold on the ground. 

Frozen to the ground, Firepaw found that he couldn’t get himself to move to help, his mind still spinning. It wasn’t until Darkflower threw herself into the mix that he managed to take a step forward, but stopped a moment later when he realized that Darkflower wasn’t helping Fernshade, but instead was helping Sandstorm pin down the spitting tortoiseshell. 

“Firepaw!” Sandstorm shouted to him as they managed to have a tentative hold on Fernshade. “Take the kits and go! We’ve got this handled here!”

“R-right!” he called back, darting quickly to where the five kits were. 

All four of ThunderClan’s kits were shaking in fright, their pelts fluffed up to make them look twice their size, and Firepaw was quick to soothe them with quick licks. Once he was certain they weren’t all ready to faint on him, he turned his attention to Eaglekit. The small kit still showed no outward appearance of emotion and he blatantly ignored Firepaw in favor of keeping on eye on the skirmish just a tail-length away. 

“Hey…” Firepaw murmured to Eaglekit, who finally turned his head to look at him with slow blinking eyes. “...Let’s get you out of here, okay?”

Eaglekit didn’t respond, but when Firepaw nudged him and the other kits towards the nursery entrance, he didn’t hesitate to follow. Sparing one last look at the three mollies behind him, Firepaw corralled the five kits outside and into the main clearing. 

The chaos of camp wasn’t as hectic as it had been before he and Sandstorm had entered the nursery. In fact, it seemed that all the ShadowClan cats who had been at a loss for what to do now had a purpose, and that purpose was to…

Firepaw stopped in his tracks and blinked hard, but the image was still the same.

_ ShadowClan is helping us defeat Brokentail and his followers! _

Indeed, it seemed that every cat who had doubts for Brokentail was now fighting alongside the ThunderClan patrol, keeping Brokentail and his most loyal followers inside camp so they couldn’t escape. Firepaw spotted Whitestorm still holding down a struggling Blackfoot, Loudbelly was pinning a big gray tom, and both Redtail and Runningfoot were working together to hold down a gray and brown molly. 

In the center of the clearing stood Brokentail, who seemed small and powerless compared to Bluestar, who stared him down as he decided his next move. Firepaw also noticed Willowpelt and many ShadowClan cats surrounding the two leaders, blocking off any escape routes Brokentail could take. Firepaw recognized the figure of Rowanberry, the deputy and Yellow’s sister, no longer looking scared or submissive, among those who were blocking Brokentail’s way.

Happiness and relief filled Firepaw as he watched this all happen.  _ We did it… We’ve won! _

But it seemed as though his thoughts were far too early as a sudden blow was dealt to the side of Firepaw’s head, knocking him to the ground and away from the kits, who squealed in fright and backed into the nursery once more. Dazed, Firepaw shook his head to try and focus as he looked up to see who had attacked him.

Standing over him was a lean, muscular brown tom whose face was set in a nasty scowl. “What do you think you’re doing, huh?” he spat, taking another step closer. Firepaw tried to get up and away, but his feet kept slipping under him, his balance not working right because of how hard he was hit. “Trying to steal back these kits, huh?” the tom continued, taking yet another step closer until he was nearly right over him. “You must be mousebrained if I’m going to let you do that, especially after all the hard work I did to get them here!”

Firepaw froze as he processed his words. “You…” he whispered. “You’re… Clawface?”

The tom scoffed. “Well, it’s good to know apprentices in other Clans know who I am. Too bad it’s the last thing you’ll ever know!”

Clawface reared up, jaw open and teeth shining, but before he could deal the finishing blow, a flash of brown bowled right into Clawface’s side, and Firepaw found himself free to stand. Giving himself one last shake, he struggled to his feet and turned to see a familiar brown tabby tom pinning Clawface down by placing unsheathed claws on his exposed neck. 

“Littlepaw!” Firepaw breathed, feeling the dread leak out of him, leaving him at a loss for words.

Glancing up, Littlepaw gave him a shaky smile. “I wasn’t going to let him get you,” he murmured, voice small, but strong. “Not after what he did to my brother.”

Firepaw blinked. “...Wetpaw? Did something happen to him?”

Littlepaw shook his head. “No… we had another brother. His name was Brownpaw and…” He looked back to Clawface, his grip increasing so that the warrior began to squirm under him. “ _ Clawface _ left him to die at the battle of WindClan! He was injured, but he could have made it… Clawface was the one who told us to leave him there on foreign territory, said that if he couldn’t make it back on his own…” He couldn’t continue, simply shaking his head instead of finishing his heartbreaking tale. 

Swallowing thickly, Firepaw moved to stand next to his side just as Littlepaw’s claws began to draw blood on Clawface’s neck. With great difficulty, he murmured to the other apprentice, “loosen your grip… No matter the horrible things he’s done, you can’t kill him when he’s surrendered, not without your leader’s direct order to.”

Littlepaw laughed without mirth. “Even though he’s brought so much pain to me?”

“Trust me,” Firepaw muttered, sliding his glance over to the pinned warrior. He thought of Brindleface, of the unnamed kit, of Spottedleaf, and the immense grief shrouding ThunderClan camp before he and Sandstorm had snuck out, and he flexed his claws on the ground below him. “There’s nothing I’d like to see more than for him to get what he deserves, but we have to follow the warrior code, and that means to wait for our leader’s judgement before passing our own.”

He watched as Littlepaw thought over his words, then sighed heavily and relaxed his grip just so that he wasn’t digging into Clawface’s skin anymore, but still had enough pressure on him that he still couldn’t break free if he tried. “Thank you…” Littlepaw murmured.

Firepaw smiled at him. “No, thank  _ you _ . You saved my life.”

A sudden yowl distracted them both, Firepaw turning to see that Bluestar had pounced on and pinned Brokentail to the ground. The ShadowClan leaders eyes were wide and wild, and he tossed his head from side to side to look at all of his Clanmates who watched. “What are you doing?!” he shouted, squirming underneath Bluestar. “Get her off of me! Your leader demands it!” And yet no cat moved to help him. “You traitors! How dare you sit there and watch an enemy leader take down your own?! StarClan accepted me as leader with their gift of nine lives, and yet you do nothing?!”

“That’s a lie,” said a voice from the camp’s entrance. All eyes shot over to see Yellow pad into camp, the three other exiled cats trailing in after her. Firepaw was relieved to see that none of them were harmed, meaning they had succeeded in distracting the enemy while keeping out of the fight. 

Firepaw heard the ShadowClan cats begin to murmur amongst themselves as the group of exiled cats made their way to where Brokentail lie. He was worried that someone might try and harm them, but it seemed that everyone who remained standing was holding off any judgement, allowing them to get to Brokentail without any trouble.

“You never got your nine lives from StarClan,” Yellow said calmly once she stood above him, more calmly than Firepaw would have guessed, considering everything Brokentail had done to her. “They rejected you, so you rejected them back and banned Runningnose and I from going to the halfmoon meetings. Then you lied to the Clan about it to trick them into following you and allowing all these bad things to happen.” She narrowed her eyes at him, and seeing them both next to each other for the first time, Firepaw realized just how identical their bright orange eyes were, like reflections in the water. “But it’s over now, Brokentail. Everyone knows now.”

Movement from the circle of ShadowClan cats caught his eye, and Firepaw looked to see Rowanberry step forward. “...Is this really true?”

“It is,” came the answer, but it was not from Yellow. Everyone turned to see a gray and white tom come out from the edge of camp. Firepaw instantly recognized him as soon as the tom sniffed.  _ Runningnose… _ “He made both Yellow and I swear to keep it a secret by… threatening our families.” His gaze drifted off to land on a pale brown tom a few tail-lengths away, then to the gray and brown molly who was still struggling against Redtail and Runningfoot’s hold despite knowing it was futile. 

Rowanberry blinked and looked to Yellow, who nodded her head solemnly. A deep set frown came to the ShadowClan deputy’s face as she slowly padded over to where Brokentail lay. She exchanged brief words with Bluestar, and they quickly changed positions, Brokentail barely having time to blink before Rowanberry became the one to hold him down.

“What’re you planning on doing then?” the fallen leader spat, his nerves showing in the tremors of his voice. “Exile me and my followers? We’ll just come back once we’ve recovered and take back what’s rightfully mine!”

“Exile you?” Rowanberry repeated with disdain. She shook her head. “I think you misunderstand the crimes against you, Broken _ tail _ .” She spat out his suffix like a curse, and Firepaw saw the tom flinch under her. “You’ve been rejected by StarClan, cast out your healer, your elders, your caretakers, forced your kits to become apprentices so that you’d have a bigger, more disposable army, stolen the kits of other Clans…”

Yellow took a step forward, her face set in a snarl. “Killed kits yourself so you could blame it on me, and had your warrior kill another Clan’s healer, queen,  _ and _ kit, just so you could have more apprentices!”

Gasps echoed around the camp, but it seemed even Brokentail looked surprised at that last part. “What? Another Clan’s healer?” 

“Oh? Didn’t even know what your own warrior did on his mission to steal ThunderClan’s kits?” Yellow sneered, turning to scan the camp until her gaze landed on Clawface, still held down by Littlepaw. “Why don’t you ask him to explain exactly what happened, then?”

All eyes turned towards the pinned down warrior, who shifted nervously under Littlepaw. “I… I didn’t mean to, I swear!” Clawface cried out. “I was only going to get the kits, but then that queen got in the way, and the healer was going to squeal to her Clanmates about what I was doing, so I did the only thing I could!” He set his wide, terrified eyes upon Brokentail, then to Rowanberry. “Please, I didn’t mean to!”

Firepaw scoffed at his now fearful attitude when only moments ago, he had been as confident as the most experienced of warriors. 

Rowanberry’s expression darkened as Clawface continued to babble his excuses. Taking a deep breath in, she turned to level her gaze at Bluestar, and dipped her head as low as she could. “As the now informal leader of ShadowClan until StarClan gives me their blessing, I would like to deeply apologize for any and all damages ShadowClan has done to your Clan. I also thank you greatly for your help today. If you and your patrol had not attacked, we would have just continued to sit back and watch as Brokentail and his followers wrecked even more chaos across all the territories. You can be assured that every last one of these cats will be punished accordingly, and that you may freely leave with your kits.”

“And what of the WindClan kits?” Loudbelly spoke up from his position over a big gray tom. “One of them is my kit…”

Rowanberry’s eyes softened as she heard his words, and she dipped her head briefly in his direction. “Of course, as they are not ShadowClan’s kits, they do not belong here, nor should they continue to be apprentices at such young ages.” She turned her head towards one of the bushes, where Firepaw saw in pity both Ratpaw and Snowpaw peeking their heads out from, their shared pale green eyes staring in horror at their pinned down father just a few tail-lengths away. “Webpaw, Whitepaw, Tawnypaw.”

At her call, three small apprentices squeezed out from the bush, and Firepaw almost gasped when he saw how small and skinny they were. The first kit was a dark gray tabby tom, the second a small white molly, and the third was a molly with a golden brown pelt. Firepaw didn’t miss the way Loudbelly’s eyes sparkled when he saw the last kit enter the clearing.

“All three of you were apprenticed too soon by a leader who was not your own. As the new leader of that same Clan, I take back your apprentice names. You shall now be known as Webkit, Whitekit, and Tawnykit once again, and shall remain that way until you’ve reached the proper age.”

“If…” Loudbelly started, then cleared his voice and began again, “if it would be all right, may I take the WindClan kits back with me to RiverClan? Stormstar would not turn them away once I’ve explained everything.”

Rowanberry nodded. “Seeing that one of them is yours, I do not see the harm of keeping them from you. Be sure to inform Stormstar that ShadowClan’s deal with RiverClan is no longer in affect.”

Loudbelly dipped his head gratefully, keeping his eyes focused on Tawnykit’s small, confused form. 

“As for Brokentail and his followers…” Rowanberry announced, drawing all attention back to her. “Those who aided Brokentail in his plot to kill Raggedstar and forcefully take power and still stood by his side even when the rest of the Clan went against him will be given the punishment of exile. If any of them are spotted on ShadowClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, or WindClan territory again, they will be killed on the spot. Does ShadowClan agree with this punishment?”

Ripples of agreement sounded from around the camp and no one protested, not even those under trial, all of them silent under the weight of the cats pinning them down.

“As for Clawface…” Firepaw saw Clawface flinch as Rowanberry set her eyes on him again. “For the killing of another Clan’s healer, queen, and kit, he will be given the punishment of death. Does ShadowClan agree with this punishment?”

A loud wail came from Clawface as he struggled anew under Littlepaw, so much so that Firepaw quickly jumped in to help keep the warrior’s legs from lashing out. “Please! Please, Rowanberry! I was only following my orders! I didn’t mean to kill anyone, let alone a kit! I was just following orders! Please!”

But Rowanberry ignored his pleas completely, and when she heard no other complaints from any other cat, she continued, “now, for Brokentail, I suppose his punishment should be obvious, but for formalities sake, I will tell it. For the crimes of knowingly killing kits, sending kits to their deaths by battle, terrorizing the other Clans, and going against the direct wishes of StarClan, he will be given the punishment of death as well. Does ShadowClan agree with this punishment?”

Clawface still shouted his pleas, but above him Firepaw heard the small sounds of approval. He looked towards Yellow and saw the turmoil in her eyes, but after a moment, she, too, nodded in agreement.

Rowanberry nodded back to her sister and turned back to Bluestar. “Once again, ShadowClan thanks you for your assistance. You may now all take your kits and leave free - ”

“Wait!” a shout came from behind Firepaw. Startled, he turned to see Fernshade standing at the entrance of the nursery. “You can’t take Badgerkit! Rowanberry, you can’t let them take him from me!” She took a step forward, but a flash of pale golden caused her to topple to the ground, Sandstorm having caught up with her and reinstated her hold. “Please!”

From behind the both of them, Darkflower cautiously exited the nursery with all five stolen kits in tow. The queen guided them around Fernshade, who wailed as Eaglekit passed her by without so much as a glance. 

Rowanberry sighed. “Like I said, they are more than welcome to take all of the kits who were not born in ShadowClan.” She gave Fernshade a pointed look. “ _ All _ of the kits, Eaglekit included.”

Firepaw saw Fernshade go still at her remark, then a look of pure fury crossed the tortoiseshell’s face. “No!” she screeched, and with seemingly newfound strength, shoved Sandstorm off of her and leapt straight for Rowanberry herself.

But before she could ram herself into Rowanberry and dislodge her from on top of Brokentail, a gray tom from the crowd got to Fernshade just in time to wrangle her to the ground. “Enough, Fernshade!” he begged.

“Not you, too, Flintfang!” she yelled from under him. “Get off of me! I’ll  _ kill _ any cat who gets in the way of me and Badgerkit! Even if it’s my brother!” Spitting, she turned her glare on Rowanberry. “Even if it’s the deputy!”

Rowanberry held her glare with one of her own. “Is this how you really feel?” she asked carefully.

“Yes!” Fernshade hissed. “I will  _ not _ lose my kit again!”

Silence save for Fernshade’s sounds of struggle hung over the ShadowClan camp as Rowanberry narrowed her eyes at the queen. Then, with a defeated sigh, lifted her head to address the rest of the Clan. “Fernshade has shown the Clan her true loyalty. For the crime of disobeying a direct order, trying to keep a stolen kit, attempting to kill me, and threatening to kill any and all Clanmates who go against her, she will be given the punishment of exile along with Brokentail’s followers. Does ShadowClan agree with this punishment?”

From his position on top of Fernshade, Flintfang gave Rowanberry a panicked look as he pleaded, “no, please, Rowanberry. Fernshade is just delusional right now. I can help convince her to accept what happened to Badgerkit if you give me the time. Please, she’s my sister.”

“And Blackfoot is your brother, yet you did not speak up for him,” Rowanberry countered gently.

Flintfang opened his mouth, then shut it quickly. He looked towards Blackfoot, who was giving him the nastiest of glares, before he hung his head in defeat.

Rowanberry gave him a moment to say one last defense, and when he remained silent, she looked around the clearing. “Any other protests?” When no one spoke, she nodded. “Then it shall be done.” She turned back once again to Bluestar, who had watched all of that with carefully blank eyes. “I would advise you all to start heading back now so that when we release the exiled cats, you do not run into them on your way back.”

Bluestar nodded, but looked towards Yellow and her group. “What of the previously exiled cats?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral. 

Eyes softening as she looked toward her sister, Rowanberry nodded. “Because of the false and unreasonable reasons for your exile, I extend my forgiveness to each and every one of you. If you shall accept, your status as a ShadowClan cat as well as your suffix will be given back to you. Do you accept?”

Ash, Night, and Dawn all nodded their heads, happiness causing their eyes to sparkle. 

“Yellow?” Rowanberry prompted when the dark ginger molly failed to give a response.

After a brief moment, Yellow slowly nodded. “I will accept on the condition that I shall be allowed to resume my healer duties.”

“Of course, Yellow.” Rowanberry smiled at her, then looked to all four of them. “Then I grant you all forgiveness. Ash, Night, Dawn, and Yellow, you will now be known once again as Ashfur, Nightpelt, Dawncloud, and Yellowfang. ShadowClan welcomes you back.”

Yellow - no, now Yellow _ fang _ \- stepped forward before anyone in the clearing could cheer for them. “There’s one more thing,” she said with a somewhat sheepish smile. “Now that I have my healer duties reinstated, I must follow them. According to the healer code, when one Clan is found lacking a healer, the Clan with the most healers must give one over to them, and I know that ThunderClan now lacks a fully trained healer. It is my duty to leave for ThunderClan to become their new healer.” She paused briefly to meet Bluestar’s eyes with a respectful dip of the head. “If ThunderClan would accept me, of course.”

Bluestar simply smiled at her. “It would be an honor to have you as our main healer, Yellowfang.”

Yellowfang dipped her head once more before turning back to Rowanberry, who was looking at her in a mixture of sadness and pride. “And what do you say to this, sister?” she asked with a tease in her voice.

With a shake to her head, Rowanberry gave off what seemed to be the hundredth sigh of the evening. “I suppose I can’t stop you.” She locked gazes with Yellowfang and murmured softly, “are you sure this is what you wish?”

Yellowfang took a moment before answering to look around until her gaze met Firepaw’s. He saw the fondness in her bright orange eyes as she nodded. “ThunderClan has… become somewhat of a home to me this past halfmoon.” She looked back to Rowanberry with her head held high. “So, yes, it is what I wish.”

There was a brief moment of quiet before Rowanberry returned her smile. “Then I give you my blessing to leave.”

“Thank you, sister,” Yellowfang murmured. She then looked to Runningnose, who was watching her with wide eyes. “I leave the well-being of ShadowClan to you, Runningnose. As my former apprentice, you should be more than capable of handling the duty of Clan healer by yourself.”

Runningnose sniffed and dipped his head to her, gratefulness in his gaze.

It was then that Yellowfang turned her attention to her son, still laying under Rowanberry, silent as he awaited his fate. It looked like she wished to say something to him, but decided against it at the last minute, turning to leave him for the last time.

Rowanberry gestured to the crowd of ShadowClan cats, and soon every ThunderClan cat who was holding down a soon-to-be exiled cat was replaced by a loyal ShadowClan cat. Firepaw, after slowly releasing his own hold on Clawface so a black warrior with white markings could take his place, saw the moment Loudbelly’s captured cat was secured again, and how the RiverClan warrior nearly flew across the clearing to where Tawnykit and the other WindClan kits sat. He licked her pelt as he explained to her who he was, and Firepaw couldn’t help the smile that came to him when he saw Tawnykit begin to quietly sob in relief. 

Darkflower approached him and Sandstorm with the five kits. Sandstorm immediately gathered up her younger siblings to soothe them while Firepaw gently guided the still emotionless Eaglekit to sit by him. He dipped his head to the black queen before looking at Littlepaw. Before he could express more of his gratitude, Littlepaw smirked and said, “see you at the next Gathering.”

Blinking, Firepaw chuckled a bit. “Yeah, see you then.”

Bluestar then called her cats to her. Before she led the way out of camp, she said to Rowanberry, “ShadowClan can rebuild itself in peace for one moon; ThunderClan shall not bother you at the border.”

“Thank you, Bluestar, for everything,” Rowanberry said with a deep dip to her head.

Giving one last nod, Bluestar turned and led the group out of the camp and into the marshland. Firepaw followed alongside Sandstorm in the back as they both guided the kits out with them, but he couldn’t help the last glance over his shoulder at Clawface before they pushed through the bramble bushes surrounding the camp.

“We did it…” Sandstorm breathed beside him, and Firepaw nodded in agreement, though he couldn’t help but think of everything they had lost along the way.


	22. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is ! The final chapter !! We've got one last reveal before we wrap up this book, so be sure to read it ;>
> 
> I'll save all the thank yous and further info for the next book in the end notes. Enjoy !

When they reached the RiverClan border, it was time to bid farewell to Loudbelly and the WindClan kits.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help bringing them to RiverClan camp?” Whitestorm asked politely as Loudbelly was preparing the kits for the short swim across the calmest part of the river. 

“We’ll be fine, but thank you for the offer.” He lifted his head and looked to Firepaw and Sandstorm. “And thank you two for letting me join you. You’ve allowed me to finally meet my daughter…” He glanced down at Tawnykit, his smile full of love. 

Firepaw and Sandstorm nodded with their own smiles. “Well, thank you for helping us with our own kits,” Sandstorm said, her gaze drifting down to her siblings, who were all huddled around her legs. 

“Take care,” Firepaw called to them as Loudbelly carefully led the way across the river, the four kits paddling along behind him.

Trusting Loudbelly’s RiverClan senior warrior skills in swimming, Bluestar urged the ThunderClan patrol onward towards home rather than waste time waiting until they were all across the river.

It was long after sunset when they finally pushed past the gorse tunnel and into the clearing. The first thing Firepaw noticed when they arrived was that the bodies of Spottedleaf, Brindleface, and her kit had all been buried, the empty space where they had been almost suggesting that they were never there at all. 

The second thing he noticed was Frostfur sitting anxiously in the middle of the clearing, her black fur seeming even more spiky and out of place, if that was even possible. When she saw the incoming patrol, she immediately leapt to her feet and dashed to meet Sandstorm and her young kits. She found a way to curl herself around all five of them, taking turns furiously licking their pelts and tutting over their small injuries. Firepaw was sure the whole forest could hear her purr.

The next thing he noticed was a flash of dark gray before all the air was knocked out of his lungs and he was shoved to the ground. Blinking, Firepaw looked up to see Graypaw on top of him, pure relief making his yellow eyes shine in the moonlight. Letting his smile show all of the similar relief he felt, Firepaw murmured, “I’m back.”

An emotion flickered across Graypaw’s face that Firepaw couldn’t quite make out before he gave Firepaw a shaky grin. “Welcome back.”

“Why is  _ she  _ here?!” an enraged yowl cried, breaking the moment between them and causing them to scramble back to their feet. Firepaw saw Tigerclaw, his eyes in furious slits trained on Yellowfang, stalking up to the reinstated healer with his large claws unsheathed. “Why did you bring back the  _ traitor _ ?!”

Anger that had been accumulating for a long time against the senior warrior suddenly burst inside of Firepaw. Not thinking of the consequences, he dashed in front of Yellowfang before Tigerclaw could have a chance to swipe at her, and hissed at the large warrior.

Obviously not expecting such an action from him, Tigerclaw halted and took a small step backwards. Firepaw felt a flare of triumph in causing such a reaction, though it quickly faded when both Darkstripe and Longtail sprung to Tigerclaw’s defense, hissing straight back at him.

“ _ Enough _ ,” Bluestar interjected, her deadly calm voice causing the two young warriors to flinch. “Back down at once, all of you. I will explain everything that happened in a moment and why Yellowfang is back with us.”

“Yellow _ fang _ …?” Longtail repeated, others who had not joined in the battle echoing his confusion. 

But Bluestar was ignoring them all in favor of stalking up to the Highrock, swiftly climbing up to the top. However, she didn’t need to call everyone to gather, for every eye of ThunderClan was already upon her. “Brokentail has been defeated,” she called once she had everyone’s attention, “and ShadowClan has been freed of his and his follower’s tyranny!”

Yowls of approval and victory shouted from all around the clearing, Firepaw joining in with them, still feeling the disbelief that they had actually done such a thing. 

“Brokentail and Clawface, the real and only killer and kidnapper of today’s tragedies, were sentenced to death by the new leader of ShadowClan, Rowanberry,” Bluestar continued, her voice more subdued. “Boulderpelt, Blackfoot, Tangleburr, and Fernshade were all exiled for following him and threatening the newfound peace within ShadowClan.”

Murmurs broke out all around Firepaw as Bluestar listed the names of the newly exiled. He didn’t blame them, and briefly wondered how Ratpaw and Snowpaw felt, having seen the father they were so proud of being exiled in front of not only their entire Clan, but members of another one as well. His heart went out for them, and he hoped they understood why it had to be done.

A small noise had Firepaw turning his attention to Tigerclaw, who sat ramrod straight, an unreadable look on his face at the news of Brokentail and his follower’s fates. Firepaw narrowed his eyes at him, but was distracted as Bluestar continued her report before he could fully dissect what it was Tigerclaw was thinking.

“For helping fend off Brokentail’s followers, and for helping us track the path Clawface took - for that is what she really did when she saw what he had done - Yellowfang, along with the rest of the falsely exiled ShadowClan cats, was forgiven by Rowanberry and given back her healer duties. And, because of the heinous crime committed today, ThunderClan finds itself without a fully trained healer.” A small smile, tired but still present all the same, turned towards Yellowfang. “I know it was your idea, but to truly make sure where your loyalties lie, I will ask you… do you wish to take up the role as ThunderClan’s fully trained healer and continue the training of Spottedleaf’s former apprentice, Graypaw?”

Firepaw heard Graypaw gasp quietly, and he smiled as he watched Yellowfang give Graypaw a wicked grin, promising all the things to come, before she turned her gaze to Bluestar. “It would be my greatest honor to accept.” And, mostly likely just for the show of it, Yellowfang dipped her head almost to the ground, causing Bluestar to chuckle softly.

“Then ThunderClan welcomes you fully.”

“Yellowfang! Yellowfang! Yellowfang!” rose the cries of ThunderClan as they accepted their new healer. As Firepaw joined in, he couldn’t help but notice the pointed quietness of Tigerclaw and his small gang of followers off to the side, all of them giving suspicious looks towards Yellowfang even as she ducked her head in what she’d never admit to be embarrassment. 

“As for the stolen kits,” Bluestar continued on as soon as the clearing quieted down, “it’s plain to see that Frostfur’s litter has been returned to her. In regards to the kits from WindClan who were taken when they were driven out… Loudbelly, a RiverClan senior warrior who aided us in this battle, took custody of them, as one is his own daughter. If he managed to explain everything to Stormstar, they should all currently be under the care of RiverClan until a permanent solution can be made.”

“What will we do about WindClan?” Frostfur suddenly spoke up, still curled around all her kits, though Sandstorm looked ready to leave the pile at any moment. Firepaw saw the queen’s eyes flicker towards the nursery, where he knew Brindleface’s remaining kits were. 

_ That’s right… _ he thought with a burning sadness in his chest,  _ their father is from WindClan. Tornear, I think Brindleface said his name was…  _ Just thinking of the missing tom not knowing his mate and one of his kits were dead, along with the possibility that the kits would never be able to meet their father, had Firepaw’s throat closing up in grief. 

Bluestar seemed to catch on to all of this as well, as a brief look of sorrow passed through her blue eyes. Giving a small nod to acknowledge the question, Bluestar murmured, “I understand your concern, but unfortunately, the decision on what to do about WindClan is one that the three remaining Clans must make together. I will be sure to bring it up at the next Gathering, of that I promise you.”

Frostfur stared up at Bluestar for just a moment before she nodded and went back to doting on her kits. 

Turning her attention back onto the clearing as a whole, Bluestar announced, “because of the damage Brokentail did to ShadowClan during his reign, I have given Rowanberry and her Clan a full moon of peace in order for them to get back onto their feet. I except all warriors and the like to respect this as well.”

Tigerclaw suddenly stood from where he sat and said, “a moon is a long time, Bluestar. What if they take advantage of this kindness?”

Something flashed in Bluestar’s gaze as she stared down at her deputy, and Firepaw had the suspicion that she wasn’t pleased at him showing his disapproval at a time like this. “It’s an act of trust, Tigerclaw,” she replied coolly, and Firepaw was slightly impressed Tigerclaw didn’t flinch outright at how her words sliced through the air, “and a way to help repair our relationship with ShadowClan. A new leader means a new opportunity for allyship. Or is that something you’d rather not have, Tigerclaw?”

“...No, Bluestar,” Tigerclaw muttered after a moment. The large tabby tom’s tail lashed, but other than that, no outward sign of anger or irritation showed on him as he stiffly sat back down. 

Her eyes remained on him for a moment longer before they abruptly shifted over to Firepaw. Freezing in his spot at the sudden attention, he almost couldn’t move when she gestured for him to come directly below the Highrock. It wasn’t until Graypaw gave him a shove that his feet finally obeyed, bringing him to a spot he hadn’t been in since he had first become an apprentice.

_ Wait… _

“There is one more thing that needs to be addressed,” Bluestar said, and when Firepaw heard the sadness in her voice, he knew immediately what this was for. “The attack earlier this morning left both of ThunderClan’s apprentices without mentors. And while we have found a new one for our healer apprentice, our warrior apprentice is still without his own.” Her gaze - a deep, sad blue - looked down to Firepaw. “It’s always regretful when an apprentice is forced to change mentors, especially halfway through their training, but it’s something that must be done. Firepaw, your new mentor will be…”

Firepaw couldn’t help but hold his breath as he watched Bluestar scan the crowd behind him. Though he had been thinking of who his new mentor would be since Brindleface had told him she’d be stuck in the nursery for a moon, he had never really stopped to think about who exactly that would be. And since finding out Brindleface was… no longer able to continue his training at all, he’d been too preoccupied with ShadowClan for it to even cross his mind.

But now, he’d finally know who would take over and help him complete the last three moons of his training. 

He just hoped it wouldn’t be -

“...Tigerclaw.”

Firepaw felt the ground beneath him fall away as the name passed Bluestar’s lips. In his shock, he spun around to see the dark brown tabby stalking over to him, a certain glint in his yellow eyes that filled Firepaw with more dread than he had ever felt before.

_ Oh no... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna give everyone who has given this work kudos, comments, bookmarks, and shares a very big thank you, though especially to those who commented. I loved hearing what you thought about each chapter ! Also wanted to give a thank you to all my followers on tumblr, as well as those who sent me an ask there. It's always a pleasure to hear from yall !
> 
> As for the next book, the Fire and Ice rewrite (title still in the works loll) that I'm sure yall want to know about, I'm currently writing chapter 6 out of a planned 29. Of course, for those who followed my progress for this book, that total number of chapters can and will fluctuate, and will most likely decrease as I work on. I'd like to ask again for all of you to have some patient with me as I continue to work on it ! I'm also planning on taking just a little break from writing this rewrite, since I've literally only been writing this since June loll. I promise to keep yall updated on my tumblr, so go follow that to keep yourself updated, and be sure to subscribe to the Warriors Rewrite series !
> 
> Thank you all again, and see you in the next book !

**Author's Note:**

> Rewrite blog : @warriorsrewrite
> 
> Main blog : @tskumoyuuma
> 
> Venmo for optional donations : @kennndoublen under "kenn s"
> 
> All kudos / comments / bookmarks / shares are highly appreciated !


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